Carpe Diem
by TwiliPrincess049
Summary: An upbeat blitzball player who meets him by mistake. An ex-warrior monk that doesn't know what to make of her when she becomes Yuna's guardian. A journey that will change their lives, and a secret of his that may be best left hidden. Auron X OC
1. Interruption

**Hey there! This is my first FFX FanFic (I beat it a couple of days ago, and am currently replaying it), so I kind of wanted to add a little twist. Flames will not be accepted, as always, but constructive criticisms are always nice :)**

**I did some research about the Goers and the Aurochs, since I couldn't remember all the players, and I TRIED to make it fit pretty well. Basically, Aey is just another player, who joined around the same time as Graav (that arrogant little son of a shoopuf that prayed for competition at Kilika Temple). Thanks! **

x.X.x**  
**

I floated easily by Doram, slapping a high-five as I rolled over onto my stomach to get back into starting position. We were winning three to zero against the Besaid Aurochs, as Graav frequently pointed out, and it didn't look good for them.

"Aey!" My brother's voice was magnified through the sphere pool. "Cover Letty! I'll get Tidus." I found myself rolling my eyes, giving a brief thumbs-up to Graav to let him know that I had heard. I hated the cheeky lilt that crept into his voice as he, once again, gave himself the most instrumental player in the game. I had been the one to get him into blitz: shouldn't I get the credit?

But no. My brother had quickly advanced in the ranks of blitzball, becoming known by some as the best blitzball player in Spira. As if that helped his oversized head at all.

My agitation was lost in the swirling, soothing waves of the sphere pool as they rolled around me, keeping Letty in my sight. I sighed, blowing bubbles and watching as they rose to the surface and popped, closing my eyes and imagining the red-haired native in my mind's eye.

He wasn't going to be a problem, that I could easily tell. The person that _was _going to make it difficult was the blonde-haired foreigner, Tidus. Graav was no match for him, that was easy to see. I wasn't either, at least alone.

I took a deep, if underwater, breath, zoning in on the knobby, azure-and-white-striped ball that had dominated my life since I was four as it sunk peacefully down to the bottom of the sphere pool.

_In the pool, you can be who you want to be. No one knows who you are: only how well you can kick. _

Graav's words echoed back to me, one of the few times he had been sensible, not blinded by his arrogance, even though he had been yelling at me at the time. I had gotten angry that he had stolen my glory, stolen the praise of the coach and the screams of the crowd. _I _was the one that was supposed to be the Goers' star player, not Graav, the wiry six-year-old that had always been stronger and faster than his younger sister.

"Aey! Focus, or you're warming the bench!" Speak of the devil. I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, focusing on the blitzball again as it began to spin until its stripes were all but a blur.

Finally, at its peak, the ball shot up with a loud bang, and I kicked out with my legs, shooting forward to intercept Letty as he dove for the ball.

"Bickson!" Graav called, darting in front of Tidus. I tackled Letty, sending him spinning out of the sphere pool, and turned to my brother, who was just barely holding up against the bleach-blonde blitzer. "I thought you were supposed to be guarding _him,_" Graav growled, jerking his thumb toward Letty, who was just now getting up.

"Looks like I took care of him," I answered, lashing out and slamming into Tidus with a block that sent him reeling. He flipped back up, retaliating easily and leaping up to grab the ball thrown from Jassu. "No you don't," Graav spat, swimming up and ramming into him again. Tidus recoiled, but managed to recover with incredible speed, just in time to snag the ball as it whipped toward him.

He cradled it against his chest as he swam for the opposite goal, and my brother uttered a low curse as he shot after his adversary, colliding with him. Tidus, in an amazing move, flipped up and kicked the ball with all his strength, sending it flying toward the goal and speeding past Raudy, the goalkeeper, too quickly for him to even try to block.

Graav openly swore now, murderous fire in his eyes. "Son of a shoopuf," he muttered, turning to me. Blitzball was one of the few times we were on the same plane, the exact level of understanding, and on certain occasions we were even decent toward each other. "Hey, sis, think you could show him what we're here for?" he asked me, and I nodded with a smirk.

"Sure thing," I answered, slapping a high-five at him as I swam past and back-flipping in the water, locking my gaze to Tidus' and nodding at him. In blitz, you always knew who to watch out for. There were no ambushes, no surprise-attacks. If I was going to obliterate Tidus, he had a right to know.

The ball flew into the water with a bang, and I immediately began circling around the sphere pool, keeping my eye on Tidus. As soon as he caught a pass, I shot forward, blocking him and giving a quick tackle before wrestling the ball away from him and throwing it to Abus.

"Shoot!" I yelled, but before Abus turned away I held up two fingers, low enough that no one else would see. It was a gesture for him to pass instead, to get the Aurochs off their guard. There were no surprise-attacks in blitzball, but that didn't mean that there were no tricks.

He nodded, immediately throwing to Doram, who kicked the ball and sent it spinning toward Graav, who launched it toward the goal.

Then, _he _appeared. Tidus intercepted the ball, kicking it back across the width of the sphere pool and sending it straight into the goal. Three to two now, and it wouldn't be long before the Aurochs were winning.

"Goers!" Graav yelled, and the team swam toward him. He treaded water as he waited, his gaze centered on Tidus the Aurochs called a huddle as well. Their captain, Wakka, had been injured in the last game. "Alright," my brother began. "You all know that Tidus is going to expect us all to try and stop him, right?" There were murmurs of agreement, and I nodded. "So, what do we do? Aey?" he asked, and I absently cracked my knuckles as I thought.

"Obviously, we're not going to do what he expects us to, but it all depends on if he's underestimating us or not. If he knows we know he expects us to all converge on him, and he thinks we're going to do just that to throw him off, well…" I trailed off, letting my point sink in, then continued. "So, it really all depends on Tidus. If it were me, though, I wouldn't take the risk. We'll keep playing as normal, but don't emphasize on Tidus too much, okay? But if he's got the ball, and he's ready to shoot, do whatever you can to stop him. Got it?" The Goers nodded, and Graav folded his arms across his chest and dipped his head.

"Good. Everyone ready? Then let's blitz."

He swam off, to get into starting position, and I paddled to the opposite end of the sphere pool.

"BLITZOFF!" the referee yelled, and I darted in for the ball, grabbing it from one of the Auroch's outstretched hands and throwing it toward Graav just as a huge weight slammed into my back, popping my shoulder as my arm whipped forward to throw the blitzball. I gritted my teeth, turning around to face Tidus, who was grinning.

"You didn't expect to get away without revenge, did you?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes, but despite myself liked his easygoing personality.

"Kind of," I answered, trying to rub the kinks out of my shoulder and failing with a suppressed groan. "You don't play for the Aurochs, do you? I've never seen you before." Tidus shrugged.

"My dad taught me to play," he said vaguely. I nodded, turning around to intercept a pass to Tidus that I had seen in my peripheral vision. I reached out, then clenched my jaw as the ball glanced off my fingers and sent a fresh burst of pain up my shoulder. Tidus snagged the ball, winking at me and swimming away. I growled, kicking savagely and swimming after him.

"Doram! Cover Aey!" I heard Graav yell, and then she came up at my side and swung around to block Tidus, who was clearly heading for the goal.

"You good?" the girl asked. "I saw that blind tackle."

"Fine," I answered. She nodded, aiming a vicious roundhouse kick for Tidus, whose chin snapped back as he reeled, still keeping a hold on the ball.

I cursed as he flipped backward and kept swimming, this time intercepted by Graav himself. Tidus threw the ball without hesitation, and it left a trail of bubbles in its wake as it raced for the goal, slamming home and causing the crowd to go wild.

"Damn!" Graav exclaimed as the Goers huddled again. He cracked his knuckles, swinging his gaze around the sphere pool. "Alright--"

He was stopped by the crowd chanting, easy to hear even through the water of the sphere pool. My brow creased, and the referee's voice boomed around the stadium.

"I don't believe it!" he said. "It sounds as if the crowd is calling for Wakka! Bobba, do you believe what you're hearing?"

"I'm not sure if I do! Wait--where is that blonde player going?" Tidus began to swim out of the sphere pool, causing the crowd to quiet. "He might be injured, folks!"

Tension, tangible even through the calming water, emanated from the crowd of people. Then, a moment later, Wakka swam out.

Everyone, from Luca or Besaid, exploded. The noise was deafening even in the sphere pool as the captain of the Aurochs swam strongly out, giving a thumbs-up to the crowd. He joined his team in the huddle, and once again the crowd began to quiet.

"Alright," Graav continued. "I've got Wakka. Everyone else, make sure we get this last point. There are two minutes left in the game, but we've won in worse conditions. Agreed?" A cheer of assent rose from the team, and Graav swam off, shaking hands with Wakka before the blitzball spiraled into the water.

Rolling my shoulders, I paddled for Jassu, guarding him as Graav tried to get the ball away from Wakka. The captain of the Aurochs darted away, throwing the ball to Letty, who immediately passed it to Botta, each of them swimming easily around the Goers.

The initial excitement of seeing Wakka again had died down, and half the crowd was once again cheering for Luca.

Jassu leapt up to grab the ball, and I lunged forward to kick him, grabbing the ball away and watching the clock out of the corner of my eye. A minute left.

I threw it to Doram, who in turn passed the blitzball to Bickson. Obviously, we weren't taking any risks. Graav snagged it just in time from Botta again, and was met by two more Aurochs. Thirty seconds.

My brother threw the ball again to me, and I spun away from Jassu, aiming a kick at his face as I threw it to Balgerda, who broke immediately to Letty, giving him a punch he would feel in the morning. Twenty seconds.

"Shoot!" Graav yelled as Wakka rose to meet Balgerda as well, along with Botta. Letty hadn't given up yet, either. I swam for my teammate, aiming a punch at Wakka and wincing as I wrenched my shoulder. Ten seconds.

Balgerda pivoted and launched the blitzball at Bickson. Nine seconds.

It rolled off his fingers, and Jassu began to swim to meet it. Eight seconds.

Doram appeared between him and the ball. Seven.

She passed to my brother, who swam immediately toward the goal. Six.

I paddled to meet him, and he catapulted the ball toward me. Five.

It glanced off my fingers, losing speed, and sank toward the bottom. Four.

"No!" Graav yelled, and Bickson punched the blitzball to send it spinning. Three.

Balgerda caught it, racing through the water as fast as her body would allow. Two.

She shot. One.

The blitzball spun toward the goal, enveloped in the net. Zero.

The buzzer went off just as the score changed, and I shrieked my exhilaration, adrenaline pumping through my veins from just watching. Graav punched the air, swimming over to meet Balgerda as the crowd went insane.

"And the Goers win again folks, but that was the closest game I've ever seen!" Bobba exclaimed, his voice magnified through the microphone. "I tell ya, I think we were all on the edges of our seats, there! Great game, amazing way for the Aurochs to go out, but the Goers bested them again!"

I slapped a high-five to Graav again, nodding as our team swam for the changing rooms. The two genders filtered into their respective rooms, and Doram and I talked as we toweled off.

"That was crazy!" she exclaimed. "That Tidus guy is some blitzer!"

"No kidding," I answered, addressing my other teammate. "That was a great shot, Balgerda."

"Thanks," she answered, and I could hear the blush in her voice. Doram and I walked out, and I waved, telling her that I'd catch up later and heading for the Auroch's area of the stadium. Three people were already there: a Ronso, small for his species and with a broken horn, a brown-haired, odd-eyed summoner, and another woman in a black dress that was woven from the front with belts of all kinds.

"Hello," the summoner said pleasantly, nodding.

"Hey. I'm Aey," I said, sticking my hand out. She nodded, shaking, and replied, "I am Yuna, and this is Lulu and Kimahri."

"Your guardians?" I asked, and Yuna dipped her head with a smile.

"And Tidus and Wakka as well," she answered. I chuckled, just as the two walked out.

"Hey!" Tidus said easily, recognizing me. "How's the shoulder?"

"I really want to punch you," I answered with a laugh. He grinned. "Nice play."

"Thanks. You, too."

"Hey, it's the Goer!" Wakka exclaimed, walking out behind him with the rest of the team. "What are you doing here?"

"Congratulating you," I answered, and he raised his eyebrows, clearly disbelieving. "More to annoy Graav, anyway. My brother, you know," I clarified, and the captain shrugged.

"Well, as long as it gets that little punk angry, I'm all for it," Tidus said with a shrug, and I smiled.

"Oh, it does. Especially since I do it every game," I answered, and the blonde blitzer grinned.

It faded, however, as he looked behind me. His eyes widened, and my brow creased. "What is it?" I asked, and Tidus pointed.

"Whoa!" Wakka exclaimed, backing up as I whipped around. Fiends had filled the sphere pool, and I stepped away, pulling my gloves out from my pack that was slung over my shoulder. Usually, it carried my blitzball, a change of clothes, my towel, and two pairs of gloves. One was meant for fighting, with spikes along the knuckles, and the other was meant for blitz, padded and comfortable. The spiked ones were what I searched for now, tightening the strap of my pack as I yanked them out and pulled them hurriedly on, following Tidus, Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, and Yuna as they ran into the main streets of Luca.

Fiends swarmed everywhere, and were quickly overwhelmed. Acting on instinct, I lashed out against the huge creatures that snapped for Yuna, but we couldn't do much.

I ran forward in an attempt to fight my way through them, but I got less than twenty feet before my rather rusty combat skills became less than a match for the dozens of fiends around me. Just as I fell, the dinosaur-like creature that had been clawing viciously at me roared and crumpled to the ground, dissolving into a cloud of pyreflies. Standing just behind it was a man in a dulled scarlet coat, still swinging a huge katana and warding off the creatures around me.

"Planning on sitting there all day?" he asked in a skeptical voice, spinning to cleave straight through a vulture that had swooped down to drill its ferocious beak into his collarbone. I scrambled up, beginning to fight despite the fact that my arms felt like lead, when a huge shockwave expanded over Luca, killing every fiend in its path.

Maester Seymour, commanding the aeon Anima, cut down every Sinspawn in Luca until there was nothing but pyreflies flying into the air and disappearing into the clouds.

I stumbled, shaking myself to clear my head, which only served to unbalance me further, and would have fallen had a strong hand not wrapped around my upper arm and kept me upright.

"Are you alright?" The question was not one of concern: more of mechanical curiosity. I nodded.

"Fine," I said tersely, and the man nodded, hoisting the katana over his shoulder. "I'm Aey," I began, and he nodded.

"I suppose you expect me to give you my name in return," the man sighed.

"That's generally polite," I answered rather harshly, my anger flaring up despite myself. He raised an eyebrow, and from behind his raised collar I heard a sardonic laugh.

"If you believe in formalities so much," he began with another pitying chuckle, "most call me Auron."

x.X.x

**Tada! Please review, I love them! I don't care how many times you review, either! THEY MAKE ME FEEL LOVED! ;)**

**Also, I know the first chapter may have been a bit boring, but it'll get better! I promise! If I get enough REVIEWS, I'll try to update as much as I can. Tell me if Aey seems like a Sue, please. I have a problem with that, and I'm desperately trying to break that habit. **

**Oh, and I'm also a little unsure about Auron's personality. He's not easy to keep in-character, you know ;) **

**Thanks a ton! **


	2. Mi'ihen Highroad

**Hey hey hey! It's 3:15 in the morning! Whoo hoo!**

**Anyway, I don't own FFX, Auron, or anything else mentioned. I just own Aey, danke very much.**

**Enjoy!**

x.X.x

He began to walk away, and I stayed just behind him, veering off the path and sensing that I wasn't needed as Tidus stalked up to this Auron, indescribable fury in his eyes. I heard muffled yelling, and for a moment I compared Tidus--the happy, teasing Tidus--to the one now. He had obviously had something on his mind, something I knew I had no right interfering in.

I continued through the streets and down the flight of stairs, walking toward the summoner, Yuna, that I had met earlier. She turned, nodding at me.

"Aey, right?" Yuna asked, and I nodded. "Have you seen Tidus or Sir Auron?"

"They're both back that way," I answered, gesturing. "Working some things out."

"Would that mean that we are to leave them alone?" the black mage, Lulu, asked, stepping forward.

"I wouldn't interfere if I were you," I said. "Something tells me they'll be done soon."

"Do you know Sir Auron?" Yuna asked, tilting her head to one side. I smiled.

"No. He seems like quite the…entertaining character, though," I answered, and Yuna chuckled. She had a nice laugh, crystal clear, though not as easy as Tidus' was.

"He was my father's guardian," she sighed.

"Auron, Lord Braska, and Jecht, right?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Do you know Sir Jecht?"

"Every blitz player does. He's a legend, and not just because he was your father's guardian."

"Yes, Tidus told me about his…prowess as a blitzball player." She exhaled, leaning out over the railing, and asked, "Where are you going to go after this, Aey?" I shrugged.

"Not sure. I kind of wander, since I don't much like traveling with the team, but…" I trailed off, and Yuna nodded.

"Would you like to…come with us?" she asked hesitantly, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Not as a guardian, of course. At least--not yet. Is that alright, Lulu, Kimahri?" the summoner asked, and the black mage nodded.

"It isn't up to me," she answered easily, and the Ronso turned away, saying nothing. Yuna nodded.

"Alright, then. I'll take it as a yes," she said with a smile, and Lulu gave an encouraging nod.

"Thanks, then. I'd love to travel with you," I answered, and Yuna nodded, turning away again with a warm smile.

After a moment, I walked over into the shadows, sitting onto a bench and taking my gloves off. Ten minutes of silence later, Auron and Tidus walked down the stairs.

"I offer you my services as a guardian," Auron said without preamble, and Yuna jumped.

"But…why?" she asked, clearly taken aback.

"I promised Braska," came Auron's short reply. He shoved Tidus forward. "And this one I promised Jecht." The man stopped, waiting, as Yuna gathered her thoughts. "You reject my services?"

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "No, Sir Auron, I would be honored to have you and Tidus as my guardians!"

"It is settled, then," Auron answered, beginning to turn away, but stopped as Yuna opened her mouth to ask something else. "Yes?" he asked.

"Is…is Sir Jecht…alive?" she asked, and Auron looked quickly at Tidus. An understanding passed between them, evident in the guilt that lit Tidus' eyes, and Auron said, "I couldn't say. I haven't seen him in ten years."

"Oh," Yuna answered, disappointment barely showing through her sudden smile. "I am sincerely grateful to have you as my guardian, Sir Auron," she said quickly, and he dipped his head, turning away as Tidus joined Yuna by the railing, talking animatedly and gesturing many times with his hands.

Auron looked over at me and raised an eyebrow, walking toward my bench in the back corner of the overhang.

"Hey there," I said, leaning back.

"Do you mind my asking what you are doing here?"

"Yuna asked me to travel with her," I answered, and he looked down at me over his shades.

"As a guardian?" There was that skeptical, almost mocking tone again. I narrowed my eyes.

"No. Just to travel," I clarified, and Auron must have heard the sharpness in my voice, as he laughed once.

"Just don't make yourself a liability." With that, he walked off, and I shook my head in wonder. What was _with _him?

Just then, Tidus began yelling what may have resembled a laugh, but really sounded like he was having trouble breathing. Yuna giggled, saying as he stopped, "I really think you should stop laughing now." Tidus chuckled, and began the same exaggerated guffawing again. This time, Yuna joined in, and within moments both were doubled over, too overcome to speak.

I raised my eyebrows as the two turned around. "What're you looking at?" Tidus asked, grinning, and Wakka shrugged.

"We were just worried you two had gone crazy, that's all," he said, and Yuna gave a heartfelt, easy laugh.

"So, where to next?" Tidus asked, and she thought for a moment.

"Djose Temple," the summoner answered. "We have to cross the Mi'ihen Highroad to get there."

"Sounds good!" the blitzer said. "When do we head out?"

Yuna looked briefly to Lulu, and then Wakka and Auron, clearly asking them.

"Tomorrow," Auron answered first, and the others nodded. "There is an inn over that way." He pointed with the arm that was tucked into his robe, and Lulu and Wakka followed his gaze to a small building, just barely visible over the other, taller houses in front of it. Yuna and Tidus nodded.

"Looks good," he said, and leaned back on the railing. "What are we gonna do for the rest of the day?" Lulu sighed, putting a hand to her forehead in a gesture of hopelessness.

"Anything you want," she said, and Tidus straightened up.

"Cool!" he exclaimed, his gaze falling on me. "Hey, you think the sphere pool's open?"

"I _know _it is," I answered easily. "Why?"

"Time for some practice," Tidus said, turning to Yuna. "You wanna learn how to blitz? You don't have to play or anything, unless you want to." She stepped back in surprise.

"A-alright," Yuna said hesitantly. "Who am I going to watch?"

"Wakka and me," the blonde blitzer replied. "And Aey, if she wants to." He raised his eyebrows at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"I won't spoil your fun," I said. "I think I'll go down to the dock."

"Suit yourself," Tidus said with a shrug, gesturing to Yuna. "Wakka, you coming?"

"Not like I asked to," the guardian pointed out, but began to follow the two. Kimahri, without a word, followed Yuna. Auron stayed where he was, standing in the shadows near the rim of the balcony.

The black mage sighed, sitting on the opposite side of the bench from me, and leaned back.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm guardian to Wakka and Tidus as well," she said, rubbing her temples. I chuckled.

"I know how you feel."

"What do you see in blitzball, anyway? It may lift the hearts of the people of Spira, but all the players ever do is get injured and angry," Lulu said, and a shocked laugh burst from my lips.

"I assume you've never seen a blitzball game where the player flips out of the top of the sphere pool, dives back in, kicks the ball straight into the goal, and manages to take out a few of the other players as well?" I asked. "Or a pass where the ball literally bounces off at least three blitzers' fingers before coming to rest either in the goal or in someone else's hands?" Lulu shook her head.

"It still seems pointless to me, though," she said, shrugging, and I grinned.

"I need to teach you about blitz, my friend," I said, taking the blitzball out of my bag and spinning it on my finger. "It's the pure adrenaline rush that makes everything worth it, the shot that spins right past four players and hits the goal just as the buzzer goes off. You haven't _lived _until you see a supposedly horrible player pull it out for his team by delivering an amazing tackle to the strongest player of the other team. It's the perpetual unpredictability, the freedom of the water."

"Passionate, aren't you?" Lulu asked with a wry smile, and I laughed.

"You have no idea."

"So why aren't you practicing with Tidus, Yuna, and Wakka?" the black mage asked, and I shrugged.

"I really prefer practicing alone. Usually, I just stay in Luca and wait for big games to play with the Goers instead of traveling with them, since I don't like practicing with company. I just feel so…peaceful, alone in the water. Like nothing could ever go wrong," I explained, and Lulu nodded.

"And how in the name of Yevon do you blitzball players stay underwater for so long?" she asked after a moment, a seemingly random question. I chuckled.

"A large amount is due to magic, but a lot of us that have been in blitz since we were toddlers can actually stay underwater for ten to fifteen minutes. Those are the really rare, skilled people, though. I know Jecht could even sleep underwater, if he wanted to," I answered, shrugging.

"How long can you hold your breath?" Lulu asked.

"Oh, maybe four or five minutes. If I want to kill my lungs, maybe six or seven," I answered. "You know, you're not as severe as I thought you'd be," I said after a moment, and she raised her eyebrows.

"How so?" the black mage asked, and I shrugged.

"I don't know. Well, maybe 'reserved' is a better word. You're actually talking to me, which is more than I expected."

"Is that a good thing?" Lulu inquired.

"I think it is." I stretched, standing. "Good talking to you, Lulu." She nodded, taking that as a goodbye, and stood to move to the railing. I dipped my head at Auron as I walked past, strolling down the streets of my home. Most people had locked themselves in their houses after the attack, and only select few dared to walk the cobblestone paths.

Night fell quickly, and I passed Tidus, Wakka, and Yuna coming back, Tidus still explaining the rules of blitzball to her. She nodded, and I allowed myself a small smile as I passed them, changing direction for the stadium and absently tossing my blitzball up and down.

I got to the sphere pool, satisfied that no one was there, and slipped into the changing rooms to pull on my change of clothes and gloves. I walked out, leaving my bag by the bleachers and jumping into the sphere, twisting through the water and floating for awhile, my blitzball on my stomach, one hand resting on it to keep it from drifting away.

Then, suddenly, I flipped up and kicked it upwards, skimming through the water to meet the knobby sphere and sending it ricocheting back toward the bottom of the pool. I dove, but I wasn't fast enough, and muttered to myself as the ball hit the bottom and floated back upward.

I picked it up and swam back to the center of the sphere pool, centering it and then doing a back-flip, kicking the blitzball and sending it flying toward the goal. It hit the net and bounced back, giving me the opportunity to kick it again, and one more time.

I practiced for perhaps an hour more before fatigue forced me back to the changing rooms, and I walked back to the inn and bade goodnight to Tidus, Yuna, and Wakka, who were all kicking back in the front room and talking.

"You look worn out," Tidus remarked, and I shrugged.

"Practicing," I answered, tossing the blitzball to him. He caught it, shrugging and laughing, and I disappeared into the back hall, taking the back room--the only one that hadn't been claimed by a guardian's meager belongings piled in front of the door.

In the morning, we set out for Mi'ihen Highroad, and Yuna stopped in awe at the very beginning, staring up at a huge statue of a man with arms raised in a gesture that could have been taken as an embrace or the warding off of fiends. An elderly man dressed in green was standing near it, and he greeted Yuna with the prayer before saying, "This is Lord Mi'ihen, father of the Crimson Blades." Crusaders, as they were known now, were protectors of Spira that gave the temples and cities a sense of security. According to the man, Maechen, they pledged their lives to fighting Sin. Lord Mi'ihen had founded them, and when the maesters of Yevon had accused them of rebellion and plotting against Spira, he had walked down this very road to meet them and explain to them, eventually joining the Crimson Blades with Yevon.

"And that, as they say, is that," Maechen finished, bowing before continuing down the road. I shook my head in confusion, and Lulu caught my eye and nodded in agreement. I smiled, and she turned away, following Yuna down Mi'ihen Highroad.

The path was filled to the brim with fiends, but it gave us all a chance to hone our skills--particularly me. I hadn't fought in so long, I was sorely lacking in any kind of technique or skill, but it slowly came back to me as I switched in and out of battle.

We met a couple of Chocobo Knights on the way, each giving Yuna a respectful, formal greeting. Towards the end of the road, a summoner named Belgemine caught Yuna's attention, and she spoke easily with the woman.

"…A friendly competition. Not to the death, of course," Belgemine was saying as I caught up. "What do you say?"

"I'll do my best," Yuna answered, and the older summoner was quick to bring Ifrit, the fire aeon, into the battle. Yuna took a deep breath and called Valefor for the second time, who had--luckily--already fought enough and had enough energy for his overdrive attack. It started the battle well, but Yuna's aeon was no match for her older, more experienced senior.

"You have much to learn," Belgemine began, and Yuna looked down. "But you did well." At that, she looked up again, her eyes brightening. "You may be able to defeat Sin."

"I think…you will defeat Sin before me," Yuna said respectfully, but there was a degree of truth to her words. Belgemine, however, shook her head.

"I cannot," she said. "Or should I say…I was not able to. Take this. It may come in handy." Belgemine pressed a bag into her hand, full of potions, not allowing Yuna to say anything else.

"Th-thank you," Yuna said, executing a hurried prayer. She dipped her head, saying, "I daresay we will meet again. Until then, good luck." The older summoner walked briskly away, and after a moment, Yuna followed, continuing down Mi'ihen Highroad.

We reached an Al Bhed travel agency by nightfall, to which Wakka vehemently protested.

"We can't go in there!" he said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Auron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's…it's the Al Bhed! They use forbidden machina, and they kidnapped Yuna!" the blitzball player objected.

"Where were her guardians when she was kidnapped?" Auron asked, and after a moment Wakka hung his head in a sign of defeat.

"Fine," he muttered. "But don't expect me to sleep in there! I'm not one bit tired!"

"Do what you want. I am," Auron answered, walking forward and speaking briefly to the Al Bhed owner of the shop before walking down the hall to the rooms. I followed, tagging behind Yuna and Lulu, and we took an hour or two to get settled.

At sunset, an unspoken agreement passed through the group, and we all gathered outside. Tidus and Yuna were talking by the water, sitting next to each other and speaking in low, though somewhat cheerful tones. Wakka was pacing by the shop, clearly still apprehensive about the Al Bhed, and Lulu and I found ourselves sitting together again.

"Want to know anything else about blitzball?" I teased, and she gave a rare, genuine smile.

"I think I'm alright," the black mage answered. "Do _you _want to know anything about magic?"

"Actually, I do," I answered, nodding. "How do you do it? And where did you learn?" Lulu sat back, closing her eyes.

"Well, I usually just concentrate on something. The more I do it, the less focus it takes, and the better I get at the spell. I learned it from my sister, since black magic is something virtually anyone can master. You don't have to be born with gifts, or certain strengths: just patience and the ability to concentrate on something, like I said."

"So a blitzball player without a magically gifted bone in her body could learn?" I asked with a wry smile. Lulu chuckled, nodding.

"Yes. Even said blitzball player could learn black magic. Could a black mage without a physically gifted bone in her body learn blitzball?" I laughed.

"Now you're talking!" Lulu smiled, shaking her head.

"I doubt I would be able to learn blitzball," she said with a coy smile. I rolled my eyes.

"You should have heard Graav moaning and groaning when I dragged him into the sphere pool for the first time. And now he's supposedly the best blitzball player in Spira. All it really takes is commitment and a certain level of fitness, and not even that. Yevon knows my brother didn't have commitment, and look at him now. Besides, you don't really have to play it: just learn, and maybe you can enjoy blitz games more."

"Maybe," Lulu agreed, shrugging. "And maybe I can talk with Wakka and actually understand what he's saying when he talks about the sport."

"That's the spirit!" I said, lightly punching her shoulder. "Except for the fact that it's not a sport: it's a lifestyle. I'm going to drill that into Wakka if I ever hear him say that blitz is just a sport." Lulu rolled her eyes, smiling, and leaned back, closing her eyes. A moment later, the old, rotting signpost next to us burst into flame, to be doused a moment later by water, each appearing out of nowhere.

"Showoff," I muttered, and the corners of her mouth twitched up in a smile as buckets of water poured down on me from thin air. "Hey!" I exclaimed, jumping up. Lulu smirked, and I heard Tidus, Wakka, and Yuna laughing. "Oh, you're going to pay for that, missy," I growled, hoisting the black mage up over my shoulder and tramping down the hillside for the water.

"Let go!" she exclaimed, and I walked waist-deep into the water.

"Okay," I answered, dropping her. She spluttered, standing back up and causing the water droplets on my skin to freeze. I shivered, rubbing my arms to warm them up again, and narrowed my eyes.

"Not fair!" I protested, diving into the water and swimming circles around her, splashing the mage with water every time I passed her in the front. She countered with more Blizzard spells, and soon we were both drenched and shivering. "You want to learn blitz or not?" I asked, and Lulu rolled her eyes.

"I was thinking about _watching _instead of _doing_," she said, and I grinned.

"That's not how you lea-arn!" I answered in a singsong voice, and Lulu sighed.

"Then I'd rather not 'learn' in front of everyone."

"Humility is wisdom," I replied, now adopting a ridiculously deep voice and pushing invisible glasses farther up my nose.

"I'm wise enough," the mage answered easily. "I know to stay away from crackpots from now on."

I rolled my eyes, gesturing to her. "Well, if you're so intent on getting out of sight, then how are you ever going to learn to play blitzball?" Lulu shrugged, and I chuckled, climbing back ashore. "Fine. I'll practice alone."

"I never said I wouldn't watch," she objected, and I nodded.

"Then watch if you want to, but that's no fun. Believe me: it stinks when you have to watch your teammates play, knowing you would have thrown that pass differently or shot sooner. Infuriating." I sat down on the bench again, wringing the water out of my hair, and Lulu joined me.

We talked until well after dark, and finally went to bed around midnight. Auron was still standing beneath a tree, looking out at the horizon, and I found myself watching him as I walked back into the travel agency, wondering what he was thinking.

x.X.x

**Short, I know, but I'm just getting the chapters out there. I'm TRYING not to make Auron and Aey's relationship go too fast, but I have some plans for them... *evil laughter* MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**And sorry if Lu is a little OOC. I tried. We're seeing her ultra-rare-uber-exclusive happy side. Yeah. That.**

**REVIEW! PLEASEY PLEASE WITH A SHOOPUF ON TOP!**

**Or a chocobo. I, personally, would prefer the chocobo, but it's up to you.**


	3. Operation Mi'ihen

**Third chappie! Whoo hoo!**

**Some character development here, I hope. And development in relationships, too ;)**

**Oh, and I know my writing is weird. I do paragraphs A LOT, so it looks all spacey and funky. Sorry 'bout that, folks.  
**

**I don't own FFX, or anything related to it. I DO, however, own Aey.**

**Moving on!**

x.X.x

Morning came. And with it a rumbling, shrieking, screeching sound I had never before heard in my life. I leapt out of bed, looking out the window to see the most horrific fiend I had ever seen.

Long, scaly arms larger than its body and a mouth that seemed to be bigger than the creature's head, it crawled over the building and stuffed a chocobo into the huge, gaping hole.

"The fiend Lucil warned us about!" Tidus exclaimed. It was true: the captain of the Chocobo Knights, Lucil, had told Yuna about a fiend with a taste for chocobos prowling around. I shook my head in wonder as Tidus yelled, "Get him!"

We ran forward, and Auron, Tidus, and Yuna started the battle. After a moment, Lulu took Yuna's place, and I took Tidus' turn. We kept at it, darting in and out and slowly wearing down the beast's energy. Its attacks became more and more labored, but still it pushed forward, giving no chance to get around it. As the chocobo eater got slower, however, we were given tiny windows of opportunity to dart between its huge arms and get behind it, slashing at the huge fiend as quickly as we could and--for the faster people--dancing out of the way as it tried to retaliate.

Auron, Lulu, and I were the last ones fighting as we finally struck it down and over the cliff. One punch was all it took, and I turned back to get out of the way.

The beast's huge arms, though, gave it one last advantage. As the creature fell, it curled one of its hands around my ankle, yanking me back and almost completely off the cliff. I screamed, desperately scrabbling for a handhold as I lashed out with my feet, still being dragged down.

I never saw him move: all I knew was that one moment I was being pulled to my death, and the next, Auron was there, slicing the hand clean off with a single-minded intensity. The chocobo-eater bellowed, falling the rest of the way into the gorge, and I clung to the rock for dear life, trying to calm the tremors that threatened to detach my fingers from the cliff-face.

Auron took my hands and gently pried them off the layers of stone, and I was absently surprised for a moment to feel his hands shaking as hard as I was. I quickly passed it off as an illusion of sorts, confusing me through my own trembling, and he easily lifted me onto solid ground.

"Are you alright?" Auron asked quietly, and I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine."

The guardian stepped away, back toward the others without a word after a final glance at me, his face portraying none of the worry I was sure I had seen in his good eye.

"Hey, you okay?" Tidus asked, walking forward as Auron stepped back. "Lucky Auron saw what was happening, huh?"

"Yeah, it was," I answered, shuddering.

"Well, nothing a few hours of blitz couldn't fix," he said with a laugh, and I smiled.

"I wonder if there's a sphere pool around here, out in the middle of nowhere."

"I don't think I'd be surprised if there was."

I rolled my eyes, facing Yuna again, who laughed, turning back to the shop as a man and a woman came running out.

"Oh, thank you!" the woman exclaimed, shaking Yuna's hand. "You do not know how much that fiend has been troubling us, eating all the poor chocobos!" The summoner laughed.

"I'm glad we could help," she said with a smile.

"Perhaps you would like to rent a few chocobos as a token of gratitude? You can travel the road much quicker that way," the man interjected, and Yuna nodded.

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" she said enthusiastically, and the woman bobbed her head, leading our party back down the road and stopping at a small building resembling a barn with energetic coos and clucks coming from the inside.

She walked inside, gesturing proudly. "Take your pick. The ride's free, and these birds know how to get home from anywhere in Spira."

"Impressive," Lulu said quietly, and I grinned at her.

"I doubt that dress is going to help you ride a chocobo," I said, gesturing. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll manage, thanks. You blitzball players really are too confident for your own good, you know," the black mage answered. I shrugged.

"Be that as it may, I can still ride a chocobo better than you."

Lulu waved her hand dismissively, turning to an already-bridled bird that chirped happily as she ran her fingers through its feathers.

I drifted to the back of the group, where Auron was standing, watching the proceedings with something akin to distaste. He looked down at me without turning, a good couple of heads taller than my pitiful five-foot-six.

"Ever ridden a chocobo?" I asked, and he looked back up at the huge birds.

"Once," he answered at last. "Jecht forced me to, and I don't look upon the memory fondly." I laughed.

"Were you a good rider?"

"Braska told me that I showed promise. Jecht, however, could not stay on to save his life." There was no trace of humor in his voice or his expression, but I chuckled.

"I'd like to have seen that," I said, and Auron looked down at me again through his shades, adjusting his collar as he seemed to debate something.

"Jecht recorded spheres, you know. Of our journey," he said after a moment. "He liked recording things he thought would be memorable."

"So, naturally, he got a shot of you on a chocobo?"

"No. On the contrary, _I _recorded _him _attempting to ride."

A startled laugh burst out, and Auron raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?" he asked, and I nodded.

"So…you think that sphere…is here?" I inquired between laughs, and the guardian nodded once.

"Probably."

"Any idea where?"

Auron shifted his weight, looking around the stable from behind his glasses. He backed out when he found nothing, and I followed, walking around to the side of the building. On the windowsill outside was a small round orb, blue and green swirling in its depths and a rim of gold around it. Auron picked it up, handing it to me, and I sat cross-legged on the ground, setting the sphere down in front of me.

A scene appeared in the air in front of us, and the guardian knelt next to me, watching an image of his former self walk toward the sphere and pick it up, swinging the camera around to face a figure on a chocobo.

"I would think that Jecht would be able to balance perfectly, blitzball player that he is." Braska's voice came from somewhere beside Auron, and the same derisive laugh I had heard from the current Auron emanated from behind the camera.

"I'll bet you twenty Gil he's going to fall again," the twenty-four-year-old guardian said.

"Thirty?" Braska asked, a smile evident in his voice.

"Twenty five."

"So you aren't completely sure."

The camera swung back toward Jecht, who was rapidly losing the fight against gravity.

"Alright," Auron said, just as the legendary blitzball star began to fall. "Fifty."

Braska laughed, handing over the Gil as Jecht crashed in a heap on the ground, knowing that Auron would only give it back to him in some way. He would never dream of taking money from the summoner he was guarding.

"Try again!" Braska called as Jecht stood, dusting himself off.

"What does it look like I'm doin'?" Jecht answered, his back turned to Auron and Braska as he pulled himself onto the chocobo again. It had gone less than three steps before Jecht began to sway, clinging onto the bird's neck for dear life, and eventually fell again, landing with a dull _thud. _

Auron chuckled, shaking his head, and Jecht stood angrily. "See if you can do any better!" he challenged the guardian, who shook his head again.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't spoil your fun," he answered, and Braska laughed.

"Come now, Auron. Surely you deserve some fun as well?" the summoner asked, knowing full well that chocobo-riding was at the bottom of Auron list of "fun" things to do. He glanced uneasily at his lord, evident from the movement of the camera, wondering if Braska was telling him to take Jecht's place on the huge bird. Braska smiled and gestured widely.

"Let's see how well you can ride," Jecht said with a snicker, and Auron sighed and stood, leaving his katana by Braska as the blitzball player sat cross-legged next to the summoner, taking the camera and angling it toward Auron as he walked toward the chocobo.

"Do I truly have to do this?" Auron asked, turning back toward Braska.

"Yes you do," Jecht called. "C'mon, have some fun. You're stiff as an old man." Auron sighed, looking up at the chocobo, who cooed and ruffled its feathers, cocking its head toward the guardian. He reached up hesitantly to take the bridle, and the bird chirped happily, spreading its tail feathers as he pulled himself onto its back.

"Keep it up, man!" Jecht whooped, obviously cracking up from behind the sphere.

"Someday, you're going to wake up with a dagger between your ribs," Auron muttered, steering the huge bird gently to the left. It clucked, strutting forward and turning, for awhile responding to Auron's every command.

Then, apparently, the chocobo decided it was bored. Without warning, it squawked and set off at a full sprint, rocketing toward Braska and Jecht, who rolled out of the way only just in time. Auron flailed for a moment, finally gripping the reins again and leaning low over the chocobo's neck as he tried to gain some degree of control over the animal.

The camera dropped from Jecht's hands and rolled away, and a flurry of incomprehensive noises came from behind it. Finally, the yelling stopped, the squawking stopped, and Auron was speaking.

"Crazy bird," he muttered, and the sphere was lifted and turned over. "I am _never _riding a chocobo again."

"Are you kidding?!" Jecht's voice came from behind him. "That was the funniest thing I've ever seen!"

"Precisely," Auron answered, and the camera was switched off.

I smiled, turning to the current Auron with a laugh.

"You seemed to be doing pretty good before that bird wanted to go for a run," I said, grinning, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"Better than Jecht, at any rate," the guardian answered, and I nodded.

"Shall we get back?" I asked after a slight pause, and he stood, waiting for me to do the same before turning to go back into the barn. "So, are you going to rent a chocobo?"

Auron raised an eyebrow as we walked into the stables. "I don't see how I have much of a choice," he answered, turning away and disappearing into one of the sections before anyone could ask where we had been. I shrugged, clucking to a random chocobo, who tweeted in response.

"Right, then. Everyone ready?" Yuna asked, not noticing our disappearance, and we nodded. "Alright. Let's go!"

We rode ahead, finally getting off the Mi'ihen Highroad and outrunning any fiends, but were stopped right at the end by a group of Crusaders. Dona and Barthello were there as well, each annoyed at the interruption.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you pass," one of the Crusaders said uncomfortably. "My sincerest apologies, Lady Summoner."

"Why not?" Tidus asked indignantly. "What's wrong?"

"It…it's called Operation Mi'ihen. We're trying to gather Sinspawn in one area and lure Sin here so that we can fight him. I'm sorry: we can't let you pass. It's too dangerous."

"You're only going to lose more lives than you can handle," Auron said suddenly, and the young man turned to him. "You know only summoners can defeat Sin. It's useless to try and lure him. Suicide. Sin will kill you all before you can even penetrate his defenses."

"We've got to try!" the Crusader interrupted vehemently. "At least something to distract it!" Auron looked at him from over his shades, peering at the man with such an intensity that he shifted uncomfortably, looking down as if guilty for his outburst.

"It isn't worth it," the guardian murmured, turning away before anyone could say anything else.

"I'm sorry, Lady Yuna, but we must ask you to leave," the Crusader said quietly, and Yuna nodded.

"It's alright. We'll find another way to Djose, I suppose," she said, nodding, and began to turn away.

"Wait a moment." I jumped: I knew that voice. Smooth and silky, easy to listen to and hard to disagree with. Maester Seymour.

"Maester Seymour!" Yuna exclaimed, greeting him with the prayer. He bowed as well, and then turned to the Crusaders.

"If you let these people through, I will take full responsibility for their actions," he said easily, and the man hesitated.

"Um…well…" he began, obviously unsure whether he should disagree with a Maester. Seymour looked at him evenly.

"Is that a problem?" he asked innocently.

"N-no, Maester Seymour," the man stuttered. "Go r-right ahead."

"Good." He beckoned for Yuna to follow him, and behind her came us, her guardians.

"Maester Seymour," Wakka began, speeding up to match his pace to the half-Guado's. "How can you support the use of the forbidden machina?! It's against the teachings of Yevon!"

"Their intentions are good," Seymour answered, smiling. "I will support them because of that."

"But it's still against the teachings…"

"Well, then, pretend you didn't see it."

Walking beside me, I felt Auron stiffen, and the hand that was tucked into his robe curled into a fist, his knuckles white. He adjusted his katana over his shoulder, falling to the back of the group. I did the same, tuning out Wakka's suddenly outraged yelling. I could not, however, block Seymour's smooth response. "Well, then pretend I didn't say that."

We walked through Mushroom Rock, where evidence of Operation Mi'ihen was everywhere. Chocobo Knights and Crusaders alike were stationed all over, talking and referring to maps every now and then. Tents had been erected in every spare inch of space, and there were too many merchants to count selling potions, remedies, and completely useless items that were apparently designed to ward off evil or repel Sin's toxin.

Auron sighed, and his gaze fell on a man standing by a large tent and talking urgently to someone. He started forward, and then turned back to me. "Are you coming, or would you rather stay with Yuna?" he asked impassively, and I shrugged.

"I'll come with you."

Auron nodded, jerking his head for me to follow as he started toward the man, who looked up in surprise as the guardian came up to him.

"Auron!" he exclaimed, setting his notepad aside. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Kinoc. I came here with Yuna," Auron answered in clipped tones. "You're a Maester now, are you?" There was a slight undercurrent of distaste in his voice, and Kinoc nodded.

"Come now, Auron. What is wrong with being a Maester?"

The guardian shook his head, and Kinoc shrugged, his gaze falling on me for the first time. "Who is this?"

"Aey," I answered, greeting him with the prayer, to which he bowed.

"I am Maester Wen Kinoc, captain of the Warrior Monks and in control of the Crusaders," Kinoc said, and I nodded.

"Quite an impressive achievement."

"Thank you."

I hesitated for a moment, knowing that Auron did not seem to dislike this man for no reason. "I must ask, Maester Kinoc," I said finally, and he turned toward me.

"Yes?"

"What do you plan to achieve with this operation? Surely you know that only summoners are capable of defeating Sin?" I asked, and a glint of suspicion flashed in his irises.

"That has not been proven," he said, though the neutral tone in his voice was almost strained now.

"Yes, but using machina? Is that not against the teachings? And Sin came because of machina, so surely that is quite a foolish way to try and defeat it?" I asked innocently, and saw a flash of approval in Auron's eyes. I just barely kept myself from grinning and winking hugely at him as Kinoc began to reply.

"You have no right meddling in the affairs of the Crusaders, girl," he said venomously. "We know what we're doing."

"Obviously not, but I will trust your judgment," I answered lightly, dipping my head and performing the prayer in farewell. "Thank you, Maester Kinoc." I began to walk away, just barely catching Kinoc muttering, "I don't see why you like her, Auron. She's obviously nothing but a nuisance."

"What she just did to you is precisely _why _I like her," Auron answered easily, and a grin broke out on my face, warmth seeping from my shoulders to my toes as I slowed my pace to catch the rest of their conversation.

"So you're plotting against your old friends now? Honestly, Auron, I thought you were better than that. All you had to do was say yes to the priest, and you could be in my position right now," Kinoc said, and it was a moment before the guardian answered.

"Marriage," he began in a dangerous voice, "Should be for love. Not for the happiness of a father or the approval of authority. And I'm not sure I want to be in your place, Kinoc."

The Maester began to reply, but it was only a garbled mess as my feet carried me farther away. The sound of Auron's boots crunching on the gravel behind me made me slow down again, walking normally when he had caught up. "I take it you heard that," he said flatly, and I nodded hesitantly. "Are you confused?"

"Quite."

Auron sighed, taking a swig from the sake jug at his waist. "So am I." He paused, adjusting his katana. "I used to be a Warrior Monk. I was at the top of the class, if you will, and it was because of this that a priest asked me to marry his daughter. It was a huge honor, and would have been a momentous wedding. However, I believe you heard my perspective on marriage just now, and so I refused." He stopped, scanning the plateau for Yuna.

"And they just…kicked you out?" I asked, and Auron nodded.

"Something like that."

He found her, apparently, for he sped up and eventually broke into a run, skidding to a halt to help Yuna, Lulu, Kimahri, Tidus, and Wakka fight. One of the Sinspawn had broken free, and Auron immediately leapt into the battle to protect Yuna.

The creature was subdued quickly thanks to a magic attack from Seymour, and the Crusaders launched an open-fire on Sin, who had appeared over the horizon, hovering in a huge orb of water. Tidus glanced at Auron, who nodded as the bullets bounced harmlessly off of the energy field surrounding it.

"Attack!" a senior Crusader yelled, and huge groups of chocobo-riders surged forward. Auron looked up, his eyes widening as Sin's ball of water began to glow, rippling and flowing with eerie slowness.

"Run!" he yelled. "Back up the rock!" Lulu and Wakka ran just in front Yuna, and Tidus pounded up the hillside just behind. Kimahri kept pace easily, but I stopped and looked back in awe. The chocobo-riders weren't going to be able to do anything, that was clear. Sin was too far away, and they were running straight to their deaths anyway. I felt my heart breaking as I saw the complete hopelessness of Operation Mi'ihen. What had they been thinking?!

"Aey!" Auron said, his voice traveling easily. "_Run_!" I glanced at him, then back at Sin, whose light was growing stronger by the second, and turned and raced back down towards the ocean, not entirely sure what I was doing.

"Aey!" Lulu's voice echoed from the crest of the hill that made the trail down to Mushroom Rock, and I looked back for a moment. I wasn't sure what I could do, or what I was even _trying _to do, but there had to be a way. The riders were racing to their deaths: there was nothing I could about that. But the Crusaders could still run, abandon their guns and get to safety.

Even as I thought it, I knew there was no way. Even if I could get to them, there wouldn't be any time left. Now, there wasn't any time for me to get to safety, either. My eyes widened as I saw the orb protecting Sin glow a blinding silver, and I stopped and threw myself behind a rock just in time.

Just as I did, a shockwave crashed over me, locking my muscles and sending fire through my veins and over my skin. I opened my mouth to scream, but my throat closed, and I felt my eyes rolling back in my head before it became too much to bear.

x.X.x

**Ooh, cliffie! BWAHAHAHAHA!**

**In any case, there is no romance yet. Just thought I should get that out there, since we all know this is an Auron X OC story (or you SHOULD know if you read the description), but right now its just a budding friendship, since I believe in friends THEN lovestruck idiots ;)**

**Please REVIEW! I LOVE reviews! **

**And constructive criticism. I actually love that too, even if I snap at you if you give it to me. Don't worry ^^**

**Tell me how I'm doing with Sue-ness and OOC-ness. If there is any you notice, don't hesitate to point it out. PWEASE.**

**So it's not worthy of a "T" rating yet, for those who are wondering, but believe me, IT WILL BE. **

**Danke!**


	4. Recovery

**Hi again! I'm going to try to regulate the chapter updates a little, but no promises ;)**

**Remember: until a certain point (you'll know, believe me), most of this is implied friendliness. Auron and Aey are just growing closer as buddies, and there really isn't much romance. Be on the lookout for subtle little hints, though ;)**

**Don't own FFX or anything related. I own Aey. So there.**

x.X.x

The first thing I heard was voices, abnormally loud as they echoed in my skull, bouncing around and making my head spin.

"Are you happy now that all who oppose Yevon are dead, Kinoc?" Auron's voice, murderously angry but no louder than normal, was muffled from the thin sheet of tent canvas separating us.

"That was never the intention," Maester Kinoc answered evenly.

"But as commander of the Crusaders, surely you could have stopped this? You knew it was in vain from the moment it began."

"But I could not have stopped it. The Crusaders are a forceful group--surely you know that?"

"But who planted the idea in their minds?" Auron asked sharply. "You've changed, Wen, and I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"And yet that is not up to you to decide. Just like it wasn't up to you when your friend tried to run _back _to Sin."

Auron's reply was lost as I opened my eyes, but immediately squeezed them shut and willed my head to stop spinning, fighting back a wave of nausea. I breathed deeply, hearing the crunch of gravel when Auron's boots hit the ground as he walked away, and Maester Kinoc sighed, his lighter footfalls fading away soon after.

I tried to open my eyes again, and found that the ceiling stayed above me. Encouraged, I began to sit up, but quickly dismissed the thought. Not possible yet.

Content with staring up at the top of the tent, I thought back to Operation Mi'ihen. It was obviously a wonder that I was alive, but I wondered uneasily how long I had been unconscious.

The tent flap parted just then, and I looked sideways to see Lulu ducking in, glancing over at me.

"Look who's awake," she said, handing me a vial filled with clear liquid.

"How long have I been…?" I began, and the black mage shrugged.

"A day. Drink that." She gestured to the vial, and I uncorked it and took a cautious sip. Lulu rolled her eyes. "The whole thing, Aey."

"Fine, fine," I said, downing it in one gulp and shuddering. "Thanks." Lulu nodded, answering immediately, "What in the name of Yevon were you thinking?!" I sighed, setting the bottle on the side-table and pushing myself into a sitting position, feeling more energized already.

"You're asking the wrong person," I said with a shrug. "I just… For a second, I thought I could save at least some people, if not the chocobo riders, but by the time I realized I couldn't, it was too late." She nodded.

"I understand, but still. They're all acting like mother hens," she said with a sigh, and I laughed suddenly.

"Aww, Lu! _You _weren't worried about me at all?" I asked, and Lulu rolled her eyes teasingly.

"I wish I could be angry with you, you overconfident blitzball player," she answered, absently snapping her fingers and making sparks fly from them as she did. I laughed.

Lulu didn't say anything for a moment, sighing. "But I think Sir Auron is angry enough for all of us." I grimaced.

"This should be interesting, then," I sighed, swinging my bare feet onto the floor. "What was that you gave me, anyway?" Lulu shrugged.

"Just an Elixir. Someone gave us four after her son…" the black mage trailed off, shaking her head. "She said she 'didn't want anyone else to end up like he did.'" I sighed.

"That was a failed mission from the start."

Lulu nodded, then stood and helped me up, walking out of the tent with me close behind. I blinked in the sudden sunlight, and was met immediately by Tidus and Yuna, each eager to know how I was.

"I'm sorry," I said to Yuna when they had calmed down, and she shook her head, hair swinging.

"Don't be. You tried to help them, and I'm sure one of us would have done the same if it hadn't been you," she answered, and Tidus nodded. I shook my head in wonder at their easy forgiveness, and Yuna smiled. "We're staying here one more night, just to make sure we have everything we need."

"Alright," I answered, nodding. "Thank you." Yuna inclined her head, then turned and began to wander toward a pile of rock that stretched to the sky, Tidus walking at her side. I walked toward O'aka, exchanging brief words of sadness as I stocked up on potions and spent the last of my pocket-Gil, and then began to walk aimlessly toward the far bank of the ocean, staring out at it until my thoughts were interrupted.

"That may have been the most foolish thing I've ever seen, and I was with Jecht for at least two years."

I turned to face Auron, shying away from the anger burning in his eyes, anger that didn't show in his voice.

"I know," I answered, and he stepped forward.

"Do you even realize how close you came to the Farplane? How close Yuna came to having to send one of her guardians along with all the departed souls here?" Auron asked intensely, taking my shoulders. "We're delayed a day, Yuna has been unable to think of anything but your little adventure, let alone the pilgrimage, and--"

"I know, okay?!" I exclaimed, stepping back and away. "I know everything that happened because of me, and I don't need to hear it a second time!" I turned and stalked around Auron, wishing with all my heart that I was in the sphere pool. In truth, I might have practiced in the ocean if I hadn't been afraid that Sin was still lurking down there.

"Hey, something up?" I looked up from my seat on the rock, and shrugged at Tidus.

"Nothing a few hours of blitz couldn't fix," I answered, and he laughed.

"Shame we can't play in the water."

I nodded, sighing and turning away. "Off to Djose tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, shrugging. "Apparently, that's where Ixion, the lightning aeon is."

"I know. Every temple has its own element, except Besaid and Bevelle. Those two are non-elementals," I answered, and Tidus raised his eyebrows.

"Cool, I suppose." He shrugged, beginning to turn away. "See you."

"'Bye."

I watched Tidus walk away, then got to my feet and made my way back to the tent where Lulu was sitting outside, practicing magic. She didn't look up, her brow creased in concentration, as she asked, "Bunking with me tonight?"

"Sure," I answered, rolling my shoulders and settling onto the ground next to her. "Would I be interrupting if I asked what you were doing?" The black mage stopped, shaking her head and saying, "No. I'm trying to master the Fira spell. It's basically like Fire, but a little more powerful. Takes a lot of energy, so I'm practicing before I head in. Speaking of which, do you still want to learn black magic?"

"Probably not tonight, but yes. Do you still want to learn blitzball?" I asked, and Lulu laughed once.

"Once all this is over, I'd love to. I don't know of any…what do you call them? Sphere pools?" I nodded. "Well, I don't know of any sphere pools in Djose or Macalania, so it might be a bit hard for you to teach me," she said, and I smiled.

"I think I'll manage. We'll just have to use our imaginations." Lulu smiled, rolling her eyes, and beckoned for me to follow her into the tent. She tied the flap closed, sitting down on one cot while I took the other, and leaned back against one of the poles holding the structure up.

"What did Sir Auron say?" she asked, and I sighed.

"Berated me for delaying the pilgrimage, distracting Yuna, not thinking, and almost dying," I answered, counting the things off on my fingers. Lulu smiled.

"Well, he got it mostly right," the black mage said with a shrug, and I rolled my eyes, waving dismissively at her.

"I know," I sighed. "But I kind of blew up. Told him I knew what I had done and I didn't need to hear it again." Lulu shrugged.

"Well, now you've learned your lesson, I suppose," she said, and I nodded. "Have you seen him around Maester Kinoc lately? Sir Auron and Wen Kinoc used to be pretty close--or as close as someone can get with Sir Auron."

"I heard them this morning. Apparently, Auron's angry at him because he didn't do anything to stop the Crusaders on a suicide mission." The black mage nodded.

"That's pretty much right. Why they didn't see that Sin was too powerful, though, is beyond me."

"Auron even suggested that Maester Kinoc had planted the idea in their minds, knowing full well that it was a suicide mission," I said, and Lulu's eyebrows raised.

"Surely not? Maester Kinoc could never do such a thing, would he?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"There isn't much that a Maester of Yevon can't do. The question is would they?" Lulu sighed, nodding, and blew the oil lamp out without another word, plunging the tent into darkness.

Morning came, and we bade goodbye to the few remaining Chocobo Knights and Crusaders, making our way to Djose. As always, Lulu, Wakka, Yuna, and Tidus took the lead, while Auron and I stayed at the back. Kimahri was a little ways behind, bringing up the rear and watching for dangers and fiends behind us.

The red-cloaked guardian and I walked along in uncomfortable silence, both of us wondering what to say.

"I'm sorry," Auron said finally, no trace of the usual pitying, teasing tone in his voice. "I was worried and angry, especially at Kinoc."

"Right, so you took it out on me," I answered, unable to help myself from snapping at him.

"I did, and I apologize," he said evenly, turning to look at me as we walked.

"And you think, because you're a legendary guardian, that you can just say you're sorry and everything will be okay?" I asked, looking up at him.

"No."

"Then don't try." I sped up to catch up to the rest of the group, but Auron's long legs were more than a match, and he rounded on me, staring hard at my face. I glared defiantly back, and it was a moment before he spoke.

"I'm trying to get your forgiveness. Why won't you give it to me?" he asked, and I absently popped my knuckles, shaking my head, and began to move around him. "Stop, Aey," the guardian said, grabbing my shoulder to stop me. I jerked away.

"Get off me."

"Hey! Auron, Aey, come on!" Tidus yelled, turning back to us. "We don't have all day!" Auron glanced at me one more time, then turned away and caught up to the group. I stared after him for a moment, shaking my head and breaking into a jog to keep pace with the others.

Djose Temple was soon in view, a massive, crackling temple that sizzled and fried the very air around it. A small inn was off to one side, and a group of Chocobo Knights and Crusaders were gathered outside, talking in hushed voices. Gatta caught my eye, then looked back down in silent mourning for Luzzu, and I gave a small, encouraging smile. He nodded miserably, going around to the back of the temple and disappearing from view, and Yuna and the others went inside.

I lingered in the open for a moment before following them, surprised to find the temple already active. Usually, it meant that another summoner was praying to the Fayth, but Dona had been behind us as we had traveled.

As we walked inside, we met another summoner: Isaaru and his guardian. He nodded at Yuna, saying, "Lord Braska was the reason I wanted journey to defeat Sin, you know." She smiled.

"I am quite proud to have had a father like him," Yuna said, dipping her head. They talked for a little more, and I wandered aimlessly around the temple, looking at the statues and keeping my gaze away from the others.

Finally, we entered the Chamber of the Fayth, and as Yuna was praying, Dona appeared, along with her guardian, Barthello. The bare-chested, burly man took one look at Auron and started forward, but Dona put a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay away from that riffraff," she said with a contemptuous look at Auron, who smirked behind his collar. I knew that expression well enough, and I turned stiffly away. Barthello, however, was not easily deterred.

"Can I…" he began, and Auron raised his eyebrows. "Can I shake your hand?" The guardian laughed once, sardonic as always, and nodded, shifting his katana to hold out his right hand for Barthello to grab and shake vigorously. Dona looked confused, and Lulu stepped forward, clearly enjoying an opportunity to make fun of the other summoner.

"You don't know the legendary guardian, Sir Auron? He traveled with High Summoner Braska on his pilgrimage! Surely everyone in Spira knows that," the black mage said, and Dona turned deliberately away from Auron, who gave a cynical chuckle.

At that moment, Yuna walked out, looking drained and exhausted but no worse for wear. Dona walked briskly up to her, snapping her fingers for Barthello to follow, and said, "You know, _child, _everything you have is because of your _father_." Yuna was unfazed, nodding.

"I know," she said easily, and Dona sniffed.

"Hm," she said, disappearing into the next room. Yuna smiled.

"Well, everyone, shall we rest?" she asked, and her guardians nodded, exiting the temple and reserving rooms in the tiny inn just outside Djose. I wandered without much of a purpose into the temple, sitting down cross-legged in front of the statue of Lord Braska. Dona came out of the Cloister of Trials an hour or so later, leaving without a word, and then there was no one else in the temple but me.

A moment later, however, I heard the door open and close, and I got to my feet and turned to face Auron. He simply stood in front of me, his good eye staring right through me.

"I…" I began, opening my mouth and closing it again. "I'm sorry." Auron said nothing for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Accepted," he said quietly, looking up at the statue of Lord Braska and sighing with the force of all of Spira's sorrow. I hesitated, and then stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his torso. For a moment, Auron stiffened, and then slowly did the same. I heard a pitying, teasing chuckle as I stepped back, and a ghost of a smile lit upon the guardian's lips. "You know," Auron said. "You really are short."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Oh, what do you know? You're just incredibly tall."

"Mm," he answered with a wry smile. "Keep telling yourself that."

x.X.x

**Yeah, yeah, I know this one was short. Sorry! **

**IF you're reading this and REVIEWING, I'd appreciate it if you let me know if you liked short chapters or long chapters better (long=approximately the length of the last chapter, I believe. Short=this one or some of the others)**

**I'm trying to keep Aey from the black hole of Sue-ness, but as always, don't be afraid to tell me if I've gotten anything dangerously Mary-Sue or OOC**

**Thanks so much! (by the way, if I ever say "danke," for those who don't know, it's "thank you" in German)**_  
_


	5. The Moonflow

**Hey again! Thanks to buddyzmama and SerbiaTakesCntrl for reviewing so far ;)**

**So close to five reviews...so close...**

**Anyway, the regular disclaimer and reminder: I don't own Final Fantasy, just Aey. *bows* Danke very much. **

**And, as always, for now it's still friendship. Granted, very peculiar, protective friendship, but I mean, hey. It's Auron. What else do you expect?**

x.X.x

In the morning, Yuna was the last to wake. Her guardians had been lingering outside the temple, talking and deciding that the summoner deserved a rest. But at least three hours after sunrise, Tidus disappeared inside the inn, voicing our thoughts as he walked away: "Yuna sure is a late sleeper."

A moment later, a crash sounded from inside the building, followed shortly by the summoner herself rushing out with Tidus behind her. She had clearly jumped out of bed and ran out without a second thought, as her hair was tangled and sticking up everywhere.

"I'm so sorry!" Yuna exclaimed, stopping before her guardians. "I didn't mean to sleep that late…I just…I'm so, so sorry!" Wakka laughed and mussed her hair.

"Hey, it's okay, ya? You were tired: you needed to sleep," he said with a shrug, and Yuna gave a hesitant smile. "You've got bed-hair, by the way," the blitzball player continued with a grin, and Yuna began trying to comb her fingers through her hair, failing miserably.

"I wouldn't think you would need to be concerned with looks for traveling," Tidus interjected with a good-natured smile, and Yuna began to protest, still trying to untangle the knots in her mousy brown hair. She gave up with a sigh, and let her hair go. Tidus chuckled, and Wakka joined in.

"If the summoner has finished styling her hair, we can go," Auron said with a smirk, and that raised Lulu and my spirits as we chuckled along with the two other blitzball players. With guardians and summoner all in a cheerful mood, we finally headed out for the Moonflow.

The going was slow, and for the beginning of the journey I walked beside Auron as usual, but two or three hours of silence from the person next to you can do a lot to someone's mind. With a brief nod at him, I sped up for a moment and matched my pace to Lulu's, who smiled understandingly and playfully rolled her eyes.

"Still want to learn black magic?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"I suppose. Wouldn't want to catch any trees on fire, though," I answered, and Lulu smirked.

"You probably won't be able to conjure enough fire to catch on a tree anyway," she said, and I lightly punched her shoulder.

"You're probably right, but don't underestimate me. I might have powers beyond your comprehension."

"Powers to kick a ball through the water, perhaps. That won't help you learn black magic," she answered, lightly pulling her sleeves away from her hands and flicking her wrist at a nearby holly bush. It was drenched with water almost immediately, and I rolled my eyes.

"You are _such _a showoff."

"Am I?" Lulu asked, raising her eyebrows innocently and absently setting the top of the tree we were passing on fire with a meaningful glance at me.

"Was that a threat?" I asked, absentmindedly cracking my knuckles.

"Only if that was," the black mage answered with a gesture at my left hand, curled into a fist as I popped my finger joints. I shrugged.

"I guess you'll never know."

We walked along in silence for awhile, eventually speeding up simultaneously and after awhile getting ahead of the group, almost out of earshot thanks to the numerous bends and twists in the path. I could tell that the black mage had something on her mind, but I knew she would get there in her own time.

"So," Lulu said finally, pausing. "Sir Auron seems to have found a kindred spirit." I took a moment to answer.

"I suppose. He's not the most easy-to-read person I know, so it's hard to tell," I replied, and Lulu shrugged.

"Still, you seem to have taken a liking to each other. Friendly, of course," she said, and I smiled.

"Mm-hmm. Why the sudden curiosity?" I asked, and the black mage smiled coyly.

"Tidus saw you in the temple, said he wondered what you were up to. He was going to greet Sir Auron when he walked up as well, but--apparently, out of curiosity--kept quiet."

"And how do you know all this?" I asked, and Lulu shrugged.

"I overheard him talking to Yuna. He said that he was quite surprised when you embraced the most elusive man he knew, to quote Tidus directly. Even more so when Sir Auron returned the gesture." I shook my head, sighing.

"Gossiping blitzer," I muttered, and the black mage chuckled.

"So you don't deny it?" she asked, and I raised an eyebrow.

"And the same goes for you. You people are too involved in others' lives, Lu," I said, only partly joking. Lulu smirked.

"Well, as guardians, we have to know who to trust," she answered, and I rolled my eyes. "But you don't deny it?"

"No, I don't. I do deny, however, that it was in any way romantic," I answered, and Lulu waved her hand dismissively.

"So how did it happen?" she asked curiously.

"My friendship with Auron, or the hug?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"Both," the black mage said, and I sighed, answering after a moment, "Well, I suppose it started when we were fighting the Chocobo Eater, after it almost pulled me over the edge. You remember, when Auron grabbed me?" Lulu nodded in recognition. "That was more or less the real beginning, and I decided to try and get to know him better when we were renting the chocobos. I asked him if he'd ever ridden a chocobo, and he said that Jecht had forced him to on Lord Braska's pilgrimage. I said that I'd liked to have seen that, and he told me--granted, a little reluctantly--about this sphere that Jecht recorded on their journey and left in the barn." The black mage nodded again.

"A Jecht Sphere," she said. "They're all over Spira. Sir Jecht began recording them for his family, but left them by the end of the pilgrimage, thinking that new summoners would enjoy learning about the High Summoner's pilgrimage on their own journey." I nodded.

"Makes sense. Anyway, he showed me the sphere, and I teased him a little about it, and after that we didn't talk much except for the odd, 'How are you?' or nod." I paused, thinking back, and said after a moment, "I suppose the next time something really happened was when he took me to see Maester Kinoc and introduced me." I laughed quietly to myself. "As I was walking away, Maester Kinoc said something like, 'I don't see why you like her, Auron. She's clearly a nuisance.' He replied with, 'What she just did to you his exactly _why _I like her.'" Lulu smiled, raising her eyebrows meaningfully, but I shrugged it off and continued. "Anyway, the only other time I can remember is after my little expedition with Operation Mi'ihen, when Auron was lecturing me, and I've told you about that. He apologized a little while later, and I refused, but in the temple _I _apologized, and well…I suppose you know the rest."

Lulu smiled widely, saying, "It sounds like a little more than a friendship to me, but I'll let it go."

"The way I tell it makes it sound like we're destined by Yevon to be together or something. I assure you, it's a friendship," I answered, and she shrugged.

"Fine, fine. At any rate, do you want to learn black magic?" the mage asked, tactfully changing the subject. I nodded gratefully, saying, "I don't see why not."

"Alright, first thing's first. You need to concentrate on something. It doesn't matter what it is, but the closer the object, the better," Lulu began, gesturing at a rotten tree on our left. "Once you've got that, just imagine it, say, engulfed in flames. If your concentration is good enough and your willpower strong enough, it should just happen. The more powerful the spell, the harder it is to cast, so start with a branch or two. Don't move to the whole tree yet." I nodded, and Lulu stopped and gestured.

"Just…stare at it?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"I find it sometimes helps to close your eyes and visualize, but either way works," she answered, and my brow creased in concentration. I closed my eyes, imagining the topmost branch bursting into flame, but nothing had happened.

"Listen. Don't open your eyes to check if it's working," the black mage said, and I nodded and tried again. No effect again, and I let my eyes open in frustrated defeat. Lulu shrugged. "Practice," she said easily. "Yevon knows it took me a month to master even one spell." I sighed.

"Got it."

Lulu began walking again, and the rest of the group caught up with us after awhile. I slowed down to walk next to Auron again, who spared me a nod before looking forward again.

"Something on your mind?" I asked finally. Though it was always hard to tell with Auron (as far as I knew, something was _always _on his mind), he seemed quieter than usual.

"Mm," the guardian answered, nodding.

"Mind telling me what it is?" I asked. He looked down at me, raising an eyebrow, and didn't say anything for a moment.

"Djose Temple," he said finally, and I cocked my head.

"Care to elaborate?" I answered cheekily, and the corners of Auron's mouth twitched up in a small smile.

"No."

I sighed, messing with my gloves, and--to my surprise--he broke the silence again. "You were practicing magic?" I laughed without any humor.

"I wouldn't go that far. I was trying my hand at black magic and miserably failing," I answered with a smile, and he chuckled.

"You aren't the only one. Lulu is quite a gifted mage," the guardian answered, adjusting his katana and gesturing briefly with the hand tucked inside his robe. "Look." I looked up, my eyes widening as the silvery waters of the Moonflow, dotted with moonlilies, came into view.

In front of us, Tidus gasped and walked forward as if in a trance, his eyes darting around, from the shoopuf to the pyreflies floating lazily around the lily pads.

"Welcome to the Moonflow, ya?" Wakka called, and Tidus turned around.

"This is amazing!" he exclaimed, and Auron laughed once without a trace of humor.

"The first time we came here," he said, walking up to the younger blitzball player. "Jecht was drunk: he tried to attack the shoopuf. After that day, he swore never to drink anything but shoopuf milk for the rest of his life."

"My old man? Swear not to drink?" Tidus asked with a cold laugh. "That's hard to believe, Auron." The guardian shrugged.

"He left a sphere somewhere around here. Perhaps you could find it."

"Is there even any such thing as shoopuf milk?" Wakka asked, tossing his blitzball into the air.

"Jecht did not die of thirst on our journey, and I know he kept his word. Braska made sure of that, so there apparently is," Auron answered, and the blitzer laughed.

"That's crazy! Still, if Sir Jecht decided not to drink, well…that was pretty good, ya?" he said, and Auron nodded.

"Mm." He looked up and gestured. "We'd better hurry, or we'll miss the shoopuf." Yuna nodded.

"Everyone ready?" she asked, and there was a murmur of agreement. Yuna smiled, walking toward the Hypello sitting atop the huge beast's shoulders.

"Helloo, Lady Summoner!" he called. "Wouldsh you like a shoopuf to ride acrosh ze Moonflow?"

"Yes, please!" Yuna answered, climbing into the small structure built on the elephant's broad back with the rest of the party. The Hypello snapped the reins, and the creature lumbered forward, into the waters of the Moonflow. Everyone took a seat on the bench that ran around the edge of the small temple-like structure that served almost as a saddle, and I settled in between Lulu and Yuna. Auron stood, looking out over the water and watching the pyreflies, and Wakka and Tidus lounged on the bench-seats, talking blitzball, Spira, and the machina city that had sunk beneath the water.

I sat back, leaning my head over the railing, and turned around, concentrating on one of the moonlilies. Lulu recognized what I was trying to do, and said, "I hope you're planning on casting Water. I wouldn't mess with the pyreflies if I were you by using Fire."

"Not like it's going to work anyway," I answered, turning back around and settling back in. Yuna tilted her head to one side.

"Are you learning magic?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"More or less. 'Trying and miserably failing' would be the term I'd use," I said, and the summoner laughed.

"I'm sure you'll get it," she encouraged, and I smiled.

"Hopefully." Yuna sighed and sat back, closing her eyes. At that moment, a blur swooped into the structure and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back. I leapt up and snatched at Yuna's ankle, but I was too slow, and the Al Bhed girl dragged her into the depths of the Moonflow.

"Tidus, Wakka!" I exclaimed, and they immediately dove off the side of the now-confused shoopuf, already knowing what was happening. I followed suit, and we swam near the machina city, towards the bottom, where a huge machine was holding Yuna.

"Get it!" Tidus yelled, and we paddled forward, immediately darting in to attack. The machina had huge arms that whipped out every attack, slamming into whatever was unlucky enough to be in its way. Wakka's arm and wrists were one of its targets, as were Tidus' ribs, but the blonde blitzball player managed to dart out of the way in time. Wakka was not so lucky, and he was soon forced to throw the blitzball with his left hand, severely taking from his attacks.

The machina's next attack was aimed for me, and it should have been obvious. I was unprepared, however, for the blindingly fast metal arm that shot out and withdrew just as quickly, lashing out for my shoulder. I heard a sickening _crunch_, and I gasped in pain, recoiling.

Tidus swam forward, slicing viciously at the wires and gears on the underside of the machine, and it began trembling, parts of it setting off small explosions that were immediately extinguished by the water. Yuna was thrust out, and Tidus caught her easily, swimming to the surface while Wakka and I paddled awkwardly after him, handicapped as we were.

"Yuna!" Lulu called, and the Hypello let a ladder down for us to climb. I glanced at Wakka as Tidus began to help the summoner up the rungs.

"This should be fun," I muttered.

"You go first, ya? I'll catch you if you fall," the flame-haired blitzer said, and I nodded, wincing inwardly.

"Thanks." I sighed and mostly used my feet to climb, relying solely on balance at some points, which--unfortunately--I didn't have much of. Had it not been for the mobility of my good arm, I would have fallen straight back into the Moonflow.

I climbed inelegantly into the tent-like saddle, turning to make sure Wakka got up okay when I was safe, and then backed out of the way as everyone crowded Yuna, making sure the summoner was alright.

After he had looked at her, Auron turned back to me. "Are you alright?" he asked, and I was vaguely pleased to hear a sincere note of concern in his voice. Maybe we were closer than I had expected. "Yuna has only the power to heal Wakka at present…" he trailed off as I began to shrug as a reflex reaction, and then winced, gritting my teeth.

"Fine," I said after a moment, and Auron looked at me over his shades.

"You certainly don't look it," he answered, beginning to take a flask full of gold liquid out of his robes. I shook my head at the potion.

"It won't make much of a difference, and we're running low anyway," I said, barely keeping myself from shrugging again. Auron nodded, and turned away as Yuna broke free of her guardians and got to me.

"Aey, are you alright?" she asked.

"Fine," I said shortly. "I don't need anything." She nodded hesitantly at my tone, and I inclined my head, turning away to join the red-cloaked guardian at the opening of the shoopuf saddle. He looked sideways at me without turning his head, and then gestured to the jug of sake hanging at his side, a clear question.

"You're offering me alcohol?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"As long as you're not hypersensitive enough that one sip will fog your mind, then yes," Auron answered. Then, after a moment, "I've found that it dulls the pain."

"And you've had many experiences to find that out?" I inquired lightly, but he said nothing, only raised an eyebrow at me and looked at the jug again. I nodded. "I suppose some sake would be nice right now." Auron unhooked it from his belt and handed it to me. I began to reach for it, then winced and switched hands. "Wrong arm," I muttered, and a small smile tugged the corners of his mouth up.

Taking the jug, I took a bold swig, flexing my fingers on my other hand absently and handing it back to him. "Thanks." He dipped his head.

"You'll feel it soon enough. Just don't drink too much." Auron paused, raising one finger suddenly to point at land in the distance that had just appeared over the horizon. I followed his gaze, and soon he had spoken again. "Guadosalam."

x.X.x

**Tada! About average length, for those who like those kinds of chapters. For anyone wondering (or caring), the relationship takes a step farther right after the Thunder Plains, in Macalania woods. Just to keep you sane ;)**

**Thanks! PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-TwiliPrincess**_  
_


	6. Guadosalam

**Yola! Not much to say about this one ;)**

**Don't own Final Fantasy. Do own Aey.**

**Carry on!**

x.X.x

The shoopuf docked, and our party used the specially made elevator-like machina to dismount. The Hypello waved cheerily as he walked away, and Yuna chuckled, waving back. We started forward, stopping to buy a only few supplies, but the summoner was soon swarmed with Spirans wanting to know if she was all right, while the rest of the group slowly dispersed as they waited for her to break free.

Auron stood by the shore, one hand tucked inside his robes, looking out over the water. The sun was setting, casting a pleasant glow on the normally-silver waters of the Moonflow, and already clouds of pyreflies were beginning to gather around the moonlilies. He looked sideways at me as I walked up beside him, standing still for a moment, and then began to stare at a lily pad close to us. Auron raised an eyebrow, and I could hear a skeptical note in his voice as he asked, "Black magic?"

"How did you know?" I answered, looking up at him and taking my gaze from the moonlily. He shrugged.

"When I was training, we had to learn about magic, both black and white." The guardian paused. "I never was good at it, but I can recognize what you're doing well enough."

"I'm no good at it either," I said with a sigh, and he chuckled.

"Practice."

"You sound like Lulu."

Auron shook his head, a small smile twisting up the corners of his mouth, and followed my gaze to the moonlily. "Try letting your thoughts drift a bit. If you don't devote your full conscious attention to it, sometimes your sub consciousness will do most of the work. It takes time, but I've found that it's easier. Granted, everyone has their own techniques, like Lulu, who I know prefers to make hand gestures to add a little more power to the spell. Of course"--Auron smirked--"the alcohol may be fogging your mind a bit."

I rolled my eyes, saying, "I'm not _that _soft. Besides, you were right: it is helping." He nodded, turning his gaze back to the water, but turned back just as quickly.

"It looks as though our summoner is ready to leave," the guardian said, gesturing to me and walking toward the trail with the others. I nodded, following, and we were soon on the trail to Guadosalam.

After ten minutes or so, I looked around the group and found that Tidus had disappeared. I began to point this out to Auron, but he raised a hand to stop me. "It looks as though he has found an old friend," he said, gesturing. As we turned a bend, I glanced around and saw Tidus speaking with a young girl, perhaps a little younger than him, with blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail and a style of clothing that was all-too-familiar to me.

Tidus looked sheepish, but the previous spark of anger was already starting to fade in her eyes. He gestured to her, saying, "Everyone, this is Rikku. She saved me when I first came to Spira, and she's Al--" he stopped, cutting himself off, and glanced at Wakka uneasily. The blitzball player took no notice, nodding at Rikku, who grinned easily.

"Hi!" she said brightly. I smiled and nodded at her, and Lulu and Yuna did the same.

"What are you doing here?" Yuna asked, and Rikku shrugged after a glance at Tidus.

"I was stranded," she said with a shrug. "Found myself here!" Lulu raised an eyebrow, smiling a little, and nodded. Yuna tilted her head to one side, then gestured at Rikku to follow her into the trees, just out of earshot. The black mage drifted toward me with an amused smirk.

"She seems happy," Lulu said, and I nodded.

"I wonder if Yuna is asking her to travel with us," I said absently, and she inclined her head thoughtfully.

"Perhaps."

A moment later, the two girls came out of the trees. Rikku was beaming, and Yuna smiled as well at everyone. "Rikku has asked to become a guardian, since she has nowhere else to go. She understands the consequences, and has readily accepted them," the summoner said, and looked around at everyone's faces to make sure there were no objections. "Good, then," she said, smiling as she turned back to Rikku. "Welcome to the team."

"Whoo hoo! Yeah!" the girl said, punching the air enthusiastically. She grinned, and Auron suddenly stepped forward.

"Look at me," he said, with a seriousness that would have put a severe damper on anyone's cheerfulness. Rikku, however, was unfazed, and stared up at him with a smile. He turned away with a murmured, "I thought so." The guardian glanced at Tidus and nodded, and the blonde blitzball player shifted uneasily, looking down at his feet. "Come on," Auron said, breaking the uncomfortably silence that followed. "We've a long way to go."

Auron and I fell to the back of the group, but Rikku danced ahead and scampered out of the way of minor fiends that appeared in front of her. Yuna was laughing to herself every now and then at the girl as she and Tidus walked near the front. As usual, Lulu and Wakka were in the middle of the group, and Kimahri was not far behind Auron and I, bringing up the rear.

"So," I began after a moment, beginning to understand that if I wanted to talk to Auron, I had to start the conversations. He looked down at me, gesturing for me to continue. "Why did you say 'I thought so?'"

"She's an Al Bhed," he murmured, looking at Wakka and keeping his voice low. "Their irises have a trademark spiral to them." I nodded.

"Never knew that."

"Now you do." I chuckled to myself, and then we walked along in silence, until the usually-silent guardian spoke again. "How's the magic coming along?"

"Same as usual. Try, fail, practice, try again, fail again, go back to square one," I answered with a sigh, and a ghost of a smile played on his lips.

"I know how you feel. I never could get the spells just right," he said, and I looked up gratefully.

"So, after Guadosalam, where to?" I asked, and Auron hesitated. Finally, he said, "It is up to Yuna, but my guess would be the Farplane, and then probably Thunder Plains. After all that, Macalania. We have a long way to go." I nodded, sighing, and Auron gave a laugh. "We'll probably be there sooner than you expect, though."

We kept walking, exchanging a few brief words now and then, but mostly keeping silent as our party plodded towards Guadosalam. Two or three hours after nightfall, my shoulder began to throb even more painfully than before as the final traces of sake wore off, and I found myself gritting my teeth with every step. Every time my foot hit the ground, a shock of pain raced up my shoulder and back, and I found it harder and harder to ignore.

I could feel Auron's gaze on me, and after a moment he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Do I look like it?" I replied harshly through clenched teeth, and he said nothing in reply. After a pause, I forced myself to relax and answered again, taking a deep breath. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." Auron looked sideways at me and nodded his understanding, falling silent as Rikku bounced to the back of the group, cocking her head as she looked at me.

"You okay? You look kinda pale," she said. "What's your name?"

"Aey," I answered tensely, and the Al Bhed girl nodded.

"Well, you sure look like you could use a rest," she said frankly, smiling as she bounded back to Yuna. "Hey, Yunie? Could we camp out for the night? I'm getting kinda tired," Rikku said, and I said a silent prayer of thanks to Yevon that she was both asking for a rest and not mentioning me. I saw Auron raise his eyebrows at Rikku's nickname for the summoner, but he said nothing.

"Sure, I suppose. We've gone pretty far," Yuna's voice came back from a little ahead of the group, and she walked backwards to talk to the Al Bhed. "The next suitable campsite we find, we'll stop for the night." Rikku smiled, nodding, and jogged into the trees to look for a good clearing to stay in.

A moment later, still bursting with energy, she came back and gestured for everyone to follow. "C'mon, slowpokes!" Rikku said cheerfully, walking into the trees and leading us to a little meadow only fifty or so feet from the trail. Yuna and Tidus nodded their approval, and Rikku was quick to claim a tree to lean against.

As they all unrolled blankets from each guardian's packs, Auron walked closer to Yuna. "I'll take the watch," he said quietly, and she nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, Sir Auron," the summoner said, performing a brief prayer. He nodded, and within twenty minutes almost everyone was asleep, even Rikku. I, however, found it impossible to close my eyes with the pain that flared up in my shoulder every time I moved, and eventually I gave up and got to my feet, walking over to join the red-cloaked guardian at the crest of a small hill just clear of the trees.

He looked down at me as I came up beside him, and gestured for me to sit, edging sideways a bit to make room. "Don't start relying on this," he murmured, passing me the jug and already knowing what was bothering me. I nodded absently, taking a couple of gulps and flexing my fingers again, as I had the first time I had tried it. Auron looked warily at me, but said nothing, and I sighed and handed it back to him.

"I won't if you don't let me. Otherwise, no promises," I answered, and he dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"That's quite similar to what Jecht said so many years ago," the guardian said thoughtfully. "He quit drinking altogether after the shoopuf incident, and for awhile was quite unstable until Lord Braska suggested I give him something to help. He took it eagerly, and I told him not to start relying on it or he would be back to his old habits--but this time with the drug." I nodded.

"Makes sense," I murmured, overtaken suddenly by a huge yawn. Auron chuckled, the same mocking tone in his laugh as always, and said, "Go sleep the alcohol off, and don't expect to be woken for the watch." I rolled my eyes, but stood and nodded at him, walking back to the campsite and poking the small fire a little, courtesy of the only Al Bhed in the group.

Morning sunlight filtered through the trees, forcing my eyes open, and I sat up, rubbing the sleep from them. Rikku was already up, and as I looked around I saw the others beginning to yawn and stretch as well. Auron was the first to stand, other than Rikku, and scattered the ashes of the fire and packed up without a word.

In what seemed like record time to me, we were on our way. I stretched with one arm, careful not to move the other one, and walked with the others to the trail. Within two hours, Guadosalam rose over the horizon, and Rikku grinned and punched the air happily. Yuna smiled and joined her at the front of the group, while Tidus hung back, clearly looking as though he wanted to talk to Auron. Nodding nonchalantly, I sped up to reach Lulu, who smiled coyly.

"Paying attention to me now, are you?" she asked teasingly, and I rolled my eyes.

"That's rather melodramatic, Lu," I answered, and the black mage laughed, saying, "How's the magic?"

"Same as always," I said with a half-shrug, but still winced when my shoulder protested. She nodded, ignoring it.

"So you haven't gotten _any _better?" Lulu asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head, and she rolled her eyes. "Fine, be difficult. At least you're practicing." I chuckled, and then looked up as we entered the area surrounding Guadosalam.

Auron took the lead now, followed shortly by Tidus, and Rikku and Yuna fell back to let him pass. The guardian entered with less confidence as usual, and I knew that Auron wasn't apprehensive for nothing. I glanced at Lulu, who seemed to notice the same thing, and we were almost immediately greeted by a woman behind the counter. Auron stepped back as if surprised, clearly on edge, but replied with the same reserved nature that I had grown so used to.

"Would you like to rest and get some provisions? I am afraid Maester Seymour may be running a little late," she said warmly, and he nodded.

"That would be very…kind of you," Auron answered tersely, and she dipped her head pleasantly.

"Right this way, please." She began to lead us away, bowing politely to Yuna, but her gaze suddenly fell on me. Her eyebrows raised, and she stepped forward to look at my shoulder. "What happened?" the Guado woman asked with a motherly tone in her voice. I shifted uncomfortably, wincing and pulling away a little as she took my arm, moving it experimentally.

"Um…machina," I answered hesitantly, and her eyes widened.

"Poor dear. Come with me, and we'll get you all fixed up." The Guado gestured at another, younger woman who had just appeared and said, "Make sure everyone else gets food and rest. We want them to be in good condition for their meeting with Maester Seymour." She began to lead me away, and as I walked by Auron he discreetly passed a curved dagger to me. I raised my eyebrows, but he shook his head, gesturing for me to take it. Obviously, he wasn't going to trust the Guado for a Zanarkand minute.

I nodded finally, tucking the blade into my belt and following the woman to the back room. She sat me down on a chair and bustled around in the cabinets, coming out with strips of cloth and other various potions and poultices.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to take your shirt at least halfway off, dear," she said as she sat down. "I know it's cold in here, but I can't think of another way." I glanced at the door, and the woman added, "It's locked," with a knowing smile.

I did as she told, gritting my teeth as she set to work cleaning the injury, clucking in disapproval every now and then. I winced as she finally took the strips of fabric and tightly bound my shoulder, instructing me firmly not to move it too much. I nodded, happy to be out of there and starting to long for the sake jug, remembering guiltily Auron's warning not to depend on it.

The elderly Guado pointed me toward where the others were, and I walked quickly toward the room she had gestured at. As I opened the door, I found many of the guardians sprawled out on the luxurious couches and chairs, and Yuna was knocked out on the bed in the corner of the room. I nodded, taking a seat between Lulu and Auron and beginning to hand his dagger back. He held up a hand, pushing it back toward me, and said, "Keep it."

I nodded uncertainly, secretly glad to have it, and Auron pulled its sheath out of his robe and handed it to me. I nodded my thanks, strapping it to my hip, and leaned back comfortably, trying to ignore my shoulder.

"Any idea when Maester Seymour's coming?" I asked, and the guardian's face darkened at the name. He took a moment to answer, but suddenly Tromell, Seymour's advisor and more or less right-hand man of the Guados, stepped in and said, "The Maester is ready for you." Auron's eyes darted to his katana, leaning against the arm of the couch, and he answered me curtly, "I believe he's coming now."

x.X.x

**Just to clear something up, when I said, "A Zanarkand minute," I was referring to the phrase, "A New York minute." Anyone ever heard that before...?**

**Anyway, still friends, but some little dashes of romance in there. Trying not to make Aey a Sue, trying to keep Auron in-character, etc etc etc**

**Review please! Danke for reading!**


	7. The Thunder Plains

**Thanks if you've stuck with the story so far ;) Just wanted to get that out there**

**Obviously, I'm taking some liberties and changing a lot up with this, so it by no means matches the script. A couple of things are directly copy/pasted, but not many. I have a guide for the game and a script as different tabs, and I'm using those as references. Obviously, just repeating the game would get very boring, so I'm just moving it along. Tell me if you think I'm skipping too much or going too fast ;)**

**Don't own FFX or anything related to it. I do own Aey.**

x.X.x

Yuna got up first, waiting for her most experienced guardian to stand as well and take the lead, and we all fell in behind Auron and walked across Guadosalam, under twisting, bridge-like structures that were built all the way across it. The glow of the Farplane caught my eye as we walked under the path leading to it, and Auron glanced up at it before continuing to the back of the village.

Tromell met us at the door, leading our group in and inviting us to help ourselves, gesturing to the massive feast laid out on the tables. With a distrustful glance at his back, Auron stood by the door, just hidden in the shadows, catching my eye once or twice and nodding. Lulu drifted toward Tidus, exchanging a few words, and I found myself next to Wakka, who was digging into a hunk of meat.

"You know," he said between mouthfuls. "The Guado have a blitzball team, too."

"The Glories, right?" I answered, and he nodded.

"Not a bad team, too," Wakka said, finishing his meal and setting the fork and knife down with a sigh on contentment. "Haven't eaten that good in awhile."

"Don't eat too much," Auron cautioned from beside the exit. "We might have to force our way out of this place."

"So distrustful, Sir Auron?" came a voice, followed closely by Maester Seymour, returning Auron's intense stare with an innocent glance of his own. "You don't _really _hate the Guado so much, do you?"

"It isn't them that I am wary of," Auron answered tersely, still staring boldly--borderline disrespectfully--into the Maester's face. He clucked sadly, shaking his head.

"Very well then. I would have loved to make a friend out of High Summoner Braska's best guardian," the half-Guado said, turning away without another word. Yuna looked surprised at Auron's harsh words, but the others did a better job of hiding their disbelief. Seymour, turning back to the summoner, caught the look of shock on her face as it disappeared. "You do not support your guardian's actions, dear Yuna?" he asked with a mildly surprised look, glancing at Auron as if in disapproval.

"Oh, no, I…" Yuna trailed off, knowing that she could agree with Auron and insult the Maester, or disagree with him and give Seymour reason to punish him. She hesitated, and finally Auron intervened.

"Yuna does not decide what her guardians choose to do. Their story is not in her hands," he said, knowing exactly what Maester Seymour was trying to do.

"Very well, very well," he replied, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace. "I was merely curious." Auron nodded, effectively ending the conversation, and Seymour inclined his head, withdrawing a sphere from his robes.

As the others gathered around to watch it, I walked over to the guardian standing in the shadows and stood in silence for a moment. "Why don't you trust him?" I asked quietly, lowering my voice until it was almost inaudible.

"That is a question for another time," Auron answered in clipped sentences, shifting. "Part of it is simply a precaution." He turned his attention back to Yuna, and I shrugged and nodded. The sphere had finished playing, and Seymour spoke for a little bit more. I caught the words, "Yunalesca," and "unbreakable bond of love," but nothing more. The Maester leaned down to whisper something in Yuna's ear, and Auron leaned forward a bit, his grip tightening on the leather-wrapped hilt of the katana. Seymour's eyes darted to him, narrowing as he straightened back up, and he swept past the guardian and out the door, presumably to wait for us.

"Everyone," Yuna began, a slight catch in her voice. "Maester Seymour has…asked me to marry him." An audible gasp rose from the group, and she looked down self-consciously. Auron, beside me, gave a quiet sigh.

"What do you plan to say?" he murmured, and Yuna shrugged helplessly as everyone turned to look behind them.

"I…don't know yet," she said, and he nodded.

"Take your time. Don't answer until you're sure."

Yuna nodded, leading the way back out to the main room, where Seymour turned with a smile on his face to greet us. "Have you decided?" he asked pleasantly, and Yuna hesitated, finally answering, "I haven't. I think I…need some time to think."

"I hope you know that this is no small matter, marriage," Auron said suddenly, and I remembered his past experience on the topic, as well as his firm belief in marrying for love. Seymour turned, the same warm smile on his face, but his eyes were cold and hard.

"Part of Yuna's responsibility as a summoner," he began, speaking slightly slower than normal, as if teaching a child a lesson. "Is to bring happiness to the people of Spira. As the wife of a Maester"--I could feel Auron getting tenser and tenser with every soft-spoken word--"she can do just that. However," Seymour continued in a lighter voice, turning to Yuna, "You do not have to answer right away, Lady Yuna." She nodded, performing the prayer and beginning to leave. Seymour walked alongside the group, keeping pace with Auron, turning slightly but not letting the guardian see his face. "What are you still doing here, anyway, Auron?" he asked, with only a slight undertone of a threat marring his musical voice.

"Pardon?" he answered in a dangerously quiet voice. Seymour shrugged, then adopted a regretful look as if realizing the obscenity of what he had just said.

"I'm very sorry," he said immediately, beginning to walk past. Just before he exited, he called softly, "It is just that we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane." Then the Maester disappeared, and the group was quiet.

"What'd he mean?" Tidus asked after a moment, and Auron shrugged.

"I don't know," he answered curtly, and the blonde-haired blitzer shrugged and turned away. Yuna hesitated, as if thinking about something, and glanced above us.

"Speaking of the Farplane," she said slowly, "Is anyone averse to visiting it for a minute or two?" There was a murmur of "no"s and "not really"s, and so the summoner nodded and turned around, doubling back to climb the path that led to the ethereal, mysterious place.

We trekked up the fiend-riddled path, and Tidus stopped in awe as we reached the shimmering curtain of light that divided our world from the world of the sent. He sped up, pulling Yuna up the steps while Wakka followed at a slower pace. Auron stopped and stood a safe distance away from it, and I hesitated curiously. I would have thought that he would be happy for the chance to see High Summoner Braska again, but apparently I had been wrong. Rikku stopped as well and dangled her legs over the edge of the staircase without a word of explanation, and I stood next to Auron.

Lulu glanced back curiously, and I shrugged to her. The black mage nodded and continued going, while beside me Auron asked impassively, "You aren't going to join them?"

"Not many people I want to see anyway," I answered vaguely. He nodded, not saying anything else, and all was silent for a minute or two. I shifted, sitting down and balancing on the rim of the staircase, much like Rikku was doing a good fifty feet away. Auron looked down at me, raising an eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked, and I turned to him.

"How do you always know when I want to ask a question?" I answered, and he didn't answer for a moment.

"Well?" the guardian inquired, and I shrugged, hemming and hawing a bit. Finally, I said, "What _did _Maester Seymour mean when he said that the Guado were 'keen to the scent of the Farplane?'" Auron shifted, turning and looking over the edge and into the swirling abyss below us. I shuddered as I thought of falling, spinning through the darkness with no escape, until his voice brought me back to our conversation.

"I don't know," Auron answered finally, just as he had with Tidus. I raised my eyebrows.

"Can you guess?"

"No."

I sighed and popped my knuckles absently, knowing by now that I couldn't get an answer out of Auron if I hung him by his ankles over the side of the staircase, and began softly humming the Hymn of the Fayth to myself, more to pass the time than anything. The guardian looked sideways at me, saying nothing, and continued staring thoughtfully into the mists below.

A half-hour or so later, Lulu, Wakka, Tidus, and Yuna walked out of the Farplane, each looking absorbed in their own little worlds and pondering their questions. Right after them, however, came an agonized, inhuman howling, followed closely by an almost unrecognizable version of Lord Jyscal, leader of the Guado. The guardians and summoner jumped back in surprise, their eyes widening in unison, as he strained to get out of the Farplane. Auron stepped forward, his grip tightening on the katana, and called, "Send him back, Yuna!" He was followed by a chorus of instructions by the other guardians, and Yuna hurriedly waved her staff in a short but complex series of movements, finally pushing the spirit of Lord Jyscal back into the Farplane.

She sighed in relief, walking over to Auron, Rikku and I and musing, "How could such a great man die and not be sent?"

"He was probably sent," Auron murmured quietly, his expression clear that he knew something we didn't. "But I believe he died an unclean death. Such things are…hard to accept." Yuna nodded, ready to take the legendary guardian's word as law, and sighed.

"Some things I doubt I'll ever understand," she said, and Lulu put her hand on the young summoner's shoulder.

"You aren't alone," she answered with a encouraging, though small, smile. Yuna nodded, straightening, and said, "I have come up with my answer for Maester Seymour." Her guardians dipped their heads, following her back to Guadosalam without another word, and I noticed Auron watching her with something akin to curiosity. I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows in a question, and he answered quietly, "I'm wondering what she'll say. Yuna is not easy to read, like her father before her." I nodded, but stopped short as we met Shelinda, an acolyte of Yevon, standing just outside the Farplane.

"Do you know where Maester Seymour went?" Yuna asked politely, and she nodded.

"He left for Macalania a little while ago, my Lady," she said, bowing respectfully. "You only just missed him."

"Oh. Okay, thank you," Yuna answered, performing the prayer before turning back to her guardians. "To Macalania? I believe we were heading there anyway." We all nodded, and she inclined her head at Shelinda before turning and walking out of the small Guado village. We walked straight north through the woods, along the twisting and turning path. Rikku bounced ahead, and behind her was the usual, unspoken formation.

Auron and I were quiet, as always, but this time there was an atmosphere of tension between us. Finally, an hour or so of suffocating silence into the journey, I said, "You're hiding something." He turned slightly to look at me, raising an eyebrow, and I found myself suddenly angry. "Why are you always looking at me like that? It's like I just told you that we could find shoopufs in Mount Gagazet or something, and I barely said three words!" I kept my voice low, spread out as we were, so that it would be nothing but unorganized rambling to the others.

"How do I look at you?" Auron asked without a trace of emotion, and I took a moment to answer, trying to calm myself down.

"Every time, it's some sort of, 'What kind of a question was that?' look. Like I don't know things that I should have known years ago."

"I'll try not to do that in the future."

"Do you even _know _you're doing it?" I asked, and he sighed, a slight smile playing on his face.

"Jecht used to tell me that I looked at him as if he were something on the bottom of my shoe. He said it many times, too. It took me a little while to realize that I had been glaring at him for half the pilgrimage." Despite myself, I laughed.

"I wish I could have met him. He sounds like an interesting character."

"He was." There was something about the way Auron's half-smile faded, the way his golden-brown eyes seemed to darken with sorrow or anger, I couldn't tell which, that made me want to hug him again, like I had done in the temple at Djose. He didn't say anything more, only stared ahead as we made our way to the Thunder Plains.

Finally, lightning crackled in the distance, and everyone unconsciously sped up except for Rikku, who jumped and began to cower behind Yuna. Tidus gazed at her curiously, and she sheepishly straightened, saying defensively, "Lighting scares me, that's all." Auron gave an amused "hmph," and the party continued onward.

Ahead, Wakka gestured to the spires that rose from the ground, saying to Tidus, "Those attract lightning. They'll keep us safe for the most part, ya?"

"'For the most part'"? Tidus repeated disbelievingly, and Wakka laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well," he said, clearly a little uneasy. "The Thunder Plains ain't exactly the safest place in Spira, ya?"

"Sure," Tidus muttered, just as a bolt of lightning struck only a few feet away. Rikku gave a piercing shriek and jumped back, knocking into Lulu, who took a step back and caught the girl by her shoulders.

"What's with you?" she asked the Al Bhed girl, who stood shakily.

"Can we please go back? _Please_, Yunie?" she asked in a small voice, and Yuna tilted her head to one side.

"Why?"

"Thunder is really, really scary. And lightning."

"Then you picked the wrong time to join the pilgrimage!" Tidus said with a laugh. "C'mon, Rikku. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Well…okay…" she said, jumping back again with a small scream as another fork of lightning struck the tower to our left. Lulu rolled her eyes, helping her forward, and we started the trek across the Thunder Plains.

Everyone got their hair singed at least once, and more than a few of us had burn marks on our arms or hands from a slightly unsuccessful dodge. Yuna cast NulShock on all of us, but she could only cast so many, and so we were forced to dart from one tower to the next and hope we weren't struck by the lightning. Thunder Plains wasn't named that for no reason.

"Look!" Rikku said enthusiastically, pointing to a small, brightly colored building that I recognized as one of Rin's shops and travel agencies. "Can we _please _stop there?" There was a note of desperation in her voice, and Yuna, apparently heard it as well. She turned with an understanding smile and nodded, changing course a little to lead the way to the little shack.

"Hello!" Rin called as we entered. "So you have decided to stay, have you?" His eyes fell on Rikku, and they widened. "Oh?"

"Shh!" the Al Bhed girl hissed, and Rin nodded in sudden comprehension, smiling warmly.

"Feel free to stay as long as you want," he said, and then turned away to clean the already-spotless countertops. Yuna retreated to a hallway lined with rooms in the back, disappearing into one. Kimahri moved to stand guard by the door without a word, and Lulu, Wakka, and Rikku all retired to their separate rooms as well, if only for something to do. I almost followed them, but heard Tidus speaking to Rin, whose eyes were wandering over to Auron.

"…Ah, as I thought!" the Al Bhed was saying. "I've been wondering since I saw him at the Mi'ihen Highroad branch." He walked out from behind the counter and began to approach the red-cloaked guardian. "Sir Auron! I wonder if you remember me? Ten years ago, at the beginning of Lord Braska's Calm?" Recognition flashed in his eyes, as well as a warning look that Rin seemed to miss.

"Yes," he said finally. "I should thank you."

"Not at all," the Al Bhed man answered with a nod. "I could not leave a wounded man to die. However, I was surprised when I saw you gone the next morning, with that wound. An ordinary man would not have been able to walk." I felt my eyes widen, even more sure now that he was hiding something from me. Auron glanced down at me, a flicker of guilt flashing across his scarred face, and said quietly, "I'd rather…drop that subject, Rin." Rin nodded, unfazed.

"As you wish." He turned and went back to dusting the counters, and I shifted my gaze, deciding not to bring up the subject of Auron's secrecy at the moment. Tidus, however, was not so tactful.

"What was that all about?" he asked, but the guardian shook his head and turned away. He shrugged, then sighed. "Wish we could play some blitz." I nodded.

"Believe me, I do too. I doubt it would be very smart to try and practice now, though, but Graav's going to kill me if I get back and I haven't improved any." Tidus chuckled.

"He's probably a joy to have as a brother."

"There's a reason I don't travel with the team."

He laughed again, then glanced at the door down the hall. "Wonder what Yuna's up to…"

"Sleeping, probably," I answered, shrugging. He nodded, drifting toward the rooms and leaving Auron and I alone. The guardian sighed after a moment.

"You aren't going to ask me what I'm hiding again?" he inquired expressionlessly, and I hesitated, saying finally, "Well, I doubted that you would tell me anyway." Auron nodded.

"You're right. I probably wouldn't have. But that's never stopped you before."

"Well, I suppose it did this time."

x.X.x

**Sort of an abrupt ending, I know. Sorry 'bout that. **

**Anyway, please REVIEW. I don't care if you've already reviewed thirty times: just REVIEW.**

**Thanks! Danke! Xie xie! (pronounced "sheh-sheh" Means thank you in Chinese) Gracias! Grazie! (I believe that's Italian)**

**No, I did not Google any of those to get the meaning. Only the ones I wasn't sure of ;)**


	8. Macalania

**There's something about that just makes my chapters look bad. I really don't get it...maybe how spaced-out it is, but they just sound horrible when I read them. *shrug*  
**

**Or maybe it's the story itself ;)**

**Don't own FFX. Do own Aey. **

x.X.x

In the morning, we left at sunrise and headed toward the exit of the Thunder Plains. We were almost there when Rikku's fear became too much for her again, and she pointed eagerly at some sort of fallen metal plate that created a shelter of sorts.

"Can we please stop there?" she asked, jumping and cowering again and a bolt of lightning struck to our right.

"But…we're almost there!" Tidus protested. "We can get out of here sooner if we don't stop!"

"I know, but…" Rikku said miserably. "It's too scary…" Yuna nodded without objection, suddenly leading the way to the sheltered area.

"There's…something I want to say, anyway," the summoner said hesitantly when we were relatively safe. "I…I have agreed to marry Maester Seymour." Immediately, Lulu murmured, "I thought so." A moment passed before anyone else spoke.

"But why?" Wakka asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why'd you change your mind?"

"For Spira's future…Yevon's unity. I--I thought it was best." She looked down, and it was a moment before any of her shell-shocked guardians spoke.

"That's not good enough," Auron said quietly, a completely different tone in his voice than normal. Marriage, as I remembered, was a sensitive subject of his.

"Wait…" the black mage said suddenly. "Is it…is it because of Lord Jyscal?"

"Hey!" Tidus exclaimed, interrupting. "That sphere!" Beside me, Auron leaned forward, finally moving toward Yuna.

"Show me," he said urgently, and Yuna stepped back and shook her head, brown hair swinging.

"I can't. I must speak to Maester Seymour first," she said with a catch in her voice, blinking. "I truly am sorry, but this is…" She straightened, looking her most experienced guardian in the eye. "It is a personal matter." He stepped back, staring at her for a moment more, and finally murmured, "As you wish."

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka burst out suddenly, but Auron ignored him as he turned back to the summoner and said, "Just one thing…" He began to continue, but Yuna shook her head.

"I won't quit my pilgrimage," she said firmly. He nodded, a flash of regret in his face as he said finally, "Then it is…fine." He turned away, but Tidus stepped in front of him.

"Wait a second, Auron!" he exclaimed. "You don't care? I mean, you're not going to stop her?"

"As long as she is willing to face Sin," Auron countered impassively. "All else is her concern. That is a summoner's privilege…as long as she journeys." He broke free of Tidus' grip on his shoulder, walking back to where he was before and refusing to say more.

"Yuna?" Wakka asked after a moment. "Just…one question." She cocked her head, gesturing for him to continue. "You can't…talk to Maester Seymour? You've _got _to marry him?" Yuna hesitated, answering softly, "I don't know. But…it feels like the right thing to do."

"Yunie," Rikku said suddenly, walking forward with tears in her eyes and putting her hands on the summoner's shoulders. Above us, lightning struck, narrowly missing the group, and Rikku--to everyone's surprise--looked up and yelled, "Quiet!" She turned back to Yuna, saying, "I wish there was some way we could help…" Yuna smiled sadly, putting one hand on top of the Al Bhed's.

"I…I'll be fine," she said, and Rikku backed up with a nod. The group was quiet for a minute or two, none daring to speak and break the silence as we all fully absorbed Yuna's resolve. Finally, Auron spoke.

"Next, we leave for Macalania Temple, where Yuna may speak with Seymour. We guardians will wait and plan our next move. Understood?" There was a murmur that rippled through the party and various nods, and then Yuna straightened and led the way out of our cover and back into the Thunder Plains.

Within twenty minutes, the lightning began to slow and stop, and eventually Rikku gained her usual bounciness again, all the more concentrated now that it had been bottled up for so long, plus her excitement from leaving the Thunder Plains. She practically skipped into Macalania Woods, almost running straight into Dona's guardian, Barthello, who looked frantic. He took one look at Auron and started for him, saying quickly in a panicky tone, "Have you seen Dona?!"

"Dona? Can't say I have," Tidus interjected, and Wakka spoke as well.

"What's up?"

"We got separated on the way here," he panted. "Damn it all! I've got to find her!"

"Calm down," Auron said suddenly, and the burly guardian looked up at him, his eyes widening in surprise as he said, "But…if anything happens to her…"

"Running around in panic is not going to help anyone," Auron answered impassively. "Right now, you have to keep cool and search. Guard your emotions, then guard your summoner."

"R-right," Barthello said hesitantly.

"Shall we search as well?" Auron asked, raising an eyebrow, and he shook his head.

"No, I've taken up enough of your time." He performed the prayer, bowing in respect. "Thank you, Sir Auron." The guardian nodded as Barthello ran off, and led the way now, up the trail and finally stopping a few hundred feet in.

"Wait," he murmured, and everyone halted behind him. "It is here…somewhere."

"Sir Auron?" Yuna asked hesitantly, stepping forward. Auron shook his head, saying, "It won't take long." He ran his hand over a fallen tree, finally slicing into it repeatedly with his katana and clearing a path, walking in first followed by Yuna and the others. I gazed around in awe, never having been in this area of the woods, and knelt to dip my hand into the thick, jellylike substance that looked like water from a distance, filling a large indentation in the ground with a tree in the back, flanked by twin waterfalls.

"It's just water, isn't it?" Tidus asked, and Auron shook his head.

"This is where spheres are made," he explained, then stopped as a huge blob rose out of the substance Tidus had been staring at and muttered, "Fiends are also attracted to these places."

The creature, if it could even be called that, changed elements every chance it got. Lulu was the only one able to do any real damage, and so Yuna and Tidus made sure to protect her as well as contribute a small amount of damage as well. After a couple of minutes, Auron took Tidus' place, I took Yuna's, then Wakka took Auron's, and Tidus took mine. The cycle continued in a never-ending loop until the fiend began to dissolve, melting back into the pool, and left a small sphere behind. Auron walked forward to examine it, sighing and handing the device to Tidus, who switched it on curiously.

"Jecht left this here, ten years ago," Auron murmured, and Wakka raised his eyebrows.

"That's old, ya?" he exclaimed. "Wonder if it'll play back…" Apparently, it did, because voices and a faint glow emanated from the little orb. Auron walked over to me as everyone else clustered around the sphere, saying emotionlessly, "Not going to watch?" I shrugged, blinking to clear my head.

"No. I was kind of…caught up in my own thoughts."

"I know how that feels," the guardian answered, and I smiled. "Have you been practicing lately?"

"Practicing what? Fighting, magic, or blitz?" I asked, and he adjusted his katana, waiting for so long I wondered if he was going to answer.

"Any of them."

"Oh. Well, I haven't been playing any blitzball lately, for obvious reasons, and I kind of…practice magic when I'm bored and passing a dead tree. As for physical fighting…virtually none." I shrugged helplessly, and the guardian gave an amused half-smile.

"Of all of those, I would say that physical fighting is the most important," he said after a moment, and I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, you would say the one that I haven't been practicing at all is the most important, wouldn't you?" I asked, and he nodded with a smirk. "Well, I have a different opinion." "Oh?"

"Of all of those, blitzball is by far the most important. It keeps you fit, brings joy to the people of Spira, can be absolutely exhilarating at the least, and helps you work on everything you need to work on to become a good fighter. So there."

"Really?" Auron answered with a raised eyebrow. "But if you have no technique, and all you do is flail your arms when you fight, how does blitzball help at all?"

"Instinct," I said defensively, and he gave a sardonic laugh.

"Is that so? I will admit, I have seen you play a little in Luca, and I don't think I've ever seen any group of people so happy, but do you not begin to think of life itself as a game?" I shrugged.

"It worked for Jecht."

"On the contrary," Auron interrupted immediately, his smile disappearing. "Jecht began to see life as it should be seen only a month after he decided to stop drinking. You saw where taking life as a game got him." I sighed, disappointed that my words had brought on such a sudden change in emotion in Auron, and turned to the group as Tidus stood, switching the sphere off.

"He sounded almost serious," the blonde sighed, and it took me a moment to realize that he was talking about Jecht. "But it was too late."

"He _was _serious," Auron said, stepping forward. "Jecht had already accepted his fate."

"His fate?" Tidus echoed, pocketing the sphere and looking up. Auron hesitated, as if unsure how to continue, and I tried to remember the last time I had seen him like that.

"Jecht...he…" the guardian began, and Tidus raised his eyebrows. "He was always talking about going home, to Zanarkand. That's why he took all those pictures--to show them to you when he returned." Auron sighed. "But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve... It happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."

"So he just gave up?" Tidus asked disbelievingly, a hint of disgust in his voice.

"It was his decision," Auron answered firmly. "Jecht chose to help Lord Braska instead of chasing after Zanarkand." Tidus sighed, nodding, and began to follow the rest of the group out through the path Auron had created. I heard Auron call Tidus back, but the rest of his words were garbled and incoherent.

We walked through the forest, stopping at sunset when it began to rain and setting up camp in a clearing that ran off into a field that stretched over the horizon, just barely hidden by the thin line of trees that divided them. Many of the guardians leaned against trees and rocks as they sharpened weapons, practiced magic, threw their blitzball around, chattered with each other, read, and any other number of things. I briefly wondered about Auron's advice, telling me to practice fighting, as I sat underneath a rock fall that created a perfect shelter to sit in. Yuna shared the space, her nose in a rather large volume of a history of summoners, and I finally stood and walked through the trees and into the field, waist-high grass swaying in the wind and rain.

I stood in the middle of the field for Yevon-knows-how-long, and might have stood there for hours more if I hadn't heard a voice behind me: "Doing anything in particular?" I turned, facing Auron, and shrugged.

"Not really. Just thinking."

"Then we're in the same boat."

"Hey, Auron?" I asked, and he raised his eyebrows in a gesture for me to continue. "You know what you said, about physical fighting?" The guardian nodded. "How exactly would I practice that without actually fighting?" A smile tugged up the corners of his mouth as he answered, "You _do _fight, but not with as much power as normal."

"And how would you do that?"

"Shall I show you?"

I shrugged and nodded, and Auron took off his robe and laid it in the wet grass, setting his katana on top of it and showing a black, lightly armored, sleeveless undershirt and the same color pants. He raised an eyebrow, and I looked away, surprised to find myself blushing. Blushing? Really, Aey? How much softer can you _get?_

"Any idea on how to formally start?" Auron asked, his tone suggesting that _he _knew it, he was just waiting for me to guess. I shook my head.

"Absolutely no idea." The guardian dipped his head.

"Alright, then. First, take whatever stance you like." I nodded, setting my feet slightly apart, one in front of the other. He inclined his head as well, still completely relaxed. "Attack me." I stopped, caught off-guard.

"Um…what?" I asked carefully, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Attack me. Kick, punch, whatever suits you." I hesitated, and he sighed. "Go ahead, Aey." I shrugged and stepped forward, punching straight forward as quickly as I could. Auron reached up and blocked it easily with his hand, knocking my fist aside so quickly I hardly saw him move. I withdrew, and he nodded. "Good. Try a couple of combinations: see if you can get through my defenses." I punched forward in the same move as last time, then ducked and spun, lashing out with my foot and aiming for his ribs. He didn't turn, only blocked the punch and grabbed my leg as the kick went forward, pulling me closer to him and setting my balance off. Then, just as quickly, Auron let go of my leg and grabbed my arms, pulling them behind my back and curling one leg behind mine to yank my feet out from under me.

Just before I hit the waterlogged dirt, I felt his hand on my back, catching and supporting me with one arm and pushing me up to a standing position. "Starting to get the hang of it?" the guardian asked with a wry smile, and I chuckled.

"Nope. Not at all."

"Pity." He stepped back, saying, "Again?" I nodded, this time staying on the defensive as Auron attacked, but I was a far cry from his skill, and soon he had my arms pinned behind my back again. "Use your instincts," he said as he released me. "And don't zero in on one punch. If you do, you won't be ready for the next one. Watch me, and in your peripheral vision watch my punches."

Twenty minutes later, I managed to block a couple of punches from him, and almost stopped in surprised delight. That was, of course, his opportunity to completely kill my spirits by sweeping my feet out from under me again.

"Before you say anything," I said defensively, still smiling at my almost-success. "I know I let my guard down." Auron smirked, nodding, and held out a hand to help me up. I took it, and we began again. He punched, I blocked, he punched again, I blocked and tried to get a kick in, failed, and the cycle went on. I was constantly backing up to give myself room, and so we circled around the field a couple of times before he finally feinted a punch from the left, and instead delivered a kick that would have sent me sprawling had he not caught me by grabbing my hand and pulling me up before I fell. The oldest trick in the book. "Son of a shoopuf," I muttered, and Auron smiled--a real, genuine, full smile.

"You show promise," he encouraged, and for once he seemed to be almost normal. Walls down, smiling, everything. "You're fast, and no one needs to tell you twice to move." I could almost feel myself glowing.

"Think so?" I asked, and Auron chuckled.

"I do."

x.X.x

**I love ending chapters with dialogue...**

**Anyway, you know how when you're writing, everything seems a lot slower than if you're actually reading it? Because writing takes a longer time than reading does? That's my problem. I think to myself, "Hey! I've been being very patient and good with character development, and Auron and Aey have been friends for a good long time now!" Then I reread it and think,"Cwap. I need to go slower..."**

**Just to explain ;)**

**Anyway, please review! Pleasey please!**

**Xie xie!**


	9. Lake Macalania

**Heya! I seem to get more writing done during the night, when I SHOULD be sleeping...but hey, who wants to play by the rules? That's boring, ya? (Wakka would be so proud of me...)  
**

**Anyway, don't own Final Fantasy, do own Aey. And FFXIII and FFVII rock, by the way. Pwnage. Absolute pwnage. Not as much as X, of course, but 13 and 7 rank up there...then again, I only just started both ^^**

x.X.x

Morning came, and the rain didn't stop. By the time we packed up and scattered the ashes of the fire, everyone was sodden and miserable. Despite my positive outlook on last night's little training session, my shoulder was even more sore than I could remember it, and I remembered the Guado woman's words after she had finished treating it: _"The less you move it, the faster it will heal." _

Oops. I smiled to myself, shaking my head, and got to my feet to join the others.

"What are you grinning about?" Lulu asked with a raised eyebrow, and I almost shrugged.

"I'm just now remembering that I'm not supposed to move my shoulder." I suppose the sake had done its job, I thought wryly, thinking back to how I had taken another drink when we had set up camp the night before. I suppose Auron wouldn't have volunteered to help me fight if I hadn't.

"Ready to go, everyone?" Yuna called, and waited for a murmur of assent before turning and leading the way back onto the trail. Rikku bounced along beside her and Tidus, happily keeping the conversation going as they walked, and by noon there was a pleasantly familiar, brightly colored building in view and contradicting the dreary gray and white of the snow-covered landscape.

"Rin's!" Rikku cried, pointing and punching the air. "We're here!" I smiled, secretly sharing her enthusiasm. The collection of travel agencies around Spira really had become a welcome sight, promising food, rest, and much entertainment from the Al Bhed owner, Rin. Not to mention a very distinct, red-haired man with a familiar green pack slung over his shoulder. I should've known we would see O'aka here, trying to mooch off the poor travelers before they entered Rin's.

Yuna waved, smiling, at the peddler, who grinned. "Buyin' something off old O'aka, are ye? This Rin'll be rich by tomorrow what with the wedding plans! It's a scandal, I tell ye! Anyway, lass, what'll it be for you today?" Yuna smiled and bought a couple potions and a Phoenix Down, but we all knew she would buy the real provisions from Rin, who priced sometimes as much as fifty Gil less.

As we walked off, leaving O'aka in a seemingly better mood, Auron said quietly, "That was a waste of Gil, Yuna." She turned around, smiling guiltily.

"I know. I just couldn't walk right past him and leave without giving him some Gil, even if it's more than I should have," she answered, and he sighed.

"If you keep doing things like that, you won't have anything left to give."

"Aw, c'mon, Auron!" Tidus interjected. "How would you feel if you stood outside in the snow every day and tried to sell things to people that just walked right past you?"

"For one thing, I wouldn't overprice my wares if I was that desperate. For another, I would not _be _selling things in the first place. There are plenty of other things he could do with his life that do not involve standing in the cold and asking people to buy overpriced potions." Tidus turned away with a good-natured "hmmph!", and our party continued into Rin's Travel Agency. A young Al Bhed called a greeting in her language, to which Rikku waved but was careful not to reply, and Yuna quickly bought what was needed and made her way out again.

As we walked out, Tromell appeared, waving his monstrous hands. "Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you," he said, walking up to us, and I saw Auron take an inconspicuous step backward from his position at the head of the group. The Guado continued. "We were surprised you managed to come so soon…pleasantly surprised, of course." He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, and nodded to the rest of us. "Lord Seymour sends his apologies for leaving upon such short notice." I heard the almost worshipful tone his voice took on as he said Seymour's name, and I barely concealed my distaste.

"It's quite all right," Yuna answered, nodding. "I have…one question, though, if I may ask."

"My lady?"

"I…would like to keep journeying, if I should marry. Do you think that he would allow me?"

"But of course, Lady Yuna! I am sure Lord Seymour would like nothing else." Yuna dipped her head, and turned to the rest of us, giving what looked like a forced smile, which faded as she looked at Tidus. "Well, goodbye for now," she said, and began to turn to join Tromell.

"We must follow Guado tradition," he said. "You're going to have to wait here a little longer. I will send someone to escort you." I wanted to say a lot of things in reply to his words and tone, many of them having to do with certain four-letter-words, but I held my tongue. We needed _an escort? _When we guardians had protected Yuna for the whole pilgrimage? And Tromell thinks he can prance on ahead and tell us to wait here while he and Yuna go skipping along in the daisies? I don't _think _so.

The summoner began to turn back, saying slowly, "I…" She trailed off, and Auron, to my surprise, spoke up first, interrupting her. "We're all with you. Do as you will."

"Thank you," Yuna answered, looking pleasantly surprised to have earned her most respected guardian's approval. Auron dipped his head, and as she walked away he turned to Tidus.

"Sorry." There was a note of mild sarcasm in his voice.

"Hmm?" Tidus asked, looking at Auron.

"That was your line."

As if just now noticing Yuna's departure, the young blitzer ran forward and waved, calling, "Yuna!" She turned around, and he gave a long, piercing whistle. She seemed to know what it meant, and nodded with a mock-salute.

"Yessir!" the summoner said, smiling, and turned. Tidus began to turn back, but the crunch of machinery and an uncharacteristic scream from Yuna jerked all our attention to a small hollow in the land which Al Bhed and their machina were streaming into. Several of the blonde-haired foreigners swerved around and leapt off their motorcycle-like machina, surrounding Yuna and Tromell.

The guardians ran forward immediately to meet them, but as soon as we had gotten within striking distance the Al Bhed scattered, back up the rise. A second later, a huge machine, accompanied by a blonde, goggle-wearing man, appeared over the crest of the hill.

"Rikku!" he yelled, and she looked up. "Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui kad drec!"

"Don't interfere or you get this," Auron translated quietly, seemingly to himself than anyone else. I looked up, but his attention was centered on the man. Rikku began to reply, the defiant look on her face enough to tell me what she would say, but he interrupted her, shouting in his native language, "Ouin bnaleuic magic yht aeons yna caymat!"

"Your precious magic and aeons are sealed," the guardian murmured, his good eye narrowing. Tidus didn't hear him, and asked Rikku, "Translation?!"

"He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!" she answered in dismay. The man standing at the top of the hill backed up, out of view, and the machine chugged slowly forward. Without a word, Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku leapt to meet it, and Yuna pulled away from Tromell and stood with her guardians. "Try to take out that little flying thingy!" Rikku called to Wakka, pointing at a small device that was zipping around the machine. He nodded, his face screwing up in concentration, and threw the blitzball, nailing it in the center. I gritted my teeth, muttering, "If that stupid machina had only hit my other shoulder…"

The little machine dropped, hitting the ground, and Wakka immediately switched with Lulu, taking the front line of the battle. Yuna, standing behind them, discreetly casted healing spells as needed. I bounced on the balls of my feet, knowing I could do nothing, and watched with growing apprehension as both Lulu and Auron took a beating, especially from the machina's most powerful magic attack. "Come on," I muttered, absently taking the dagger from its sheath and turning it over and over in my left hand. If I could throw a dagger half as well as I could throw a blitzball…

I toyed with the idea for a moment more, deciding finally that it was worth a shot. I wouldn't aim for the machina, of course: that brought the blade too close to the others for my taste and probably amateur knife-throwing skills. I would just hit the "little flying thingy" that Rikku had pointed at. The worst I could do was overshoot and lose the dagger in the snow, which I had no intention of doing, either.

As soon as the device popped out of the top of the Al Bhed machina, I launched the dagger toward it, taking comfort from the familiarity of throwing a blitzball. A player had to judge the balance of the ball, the currents of the water, and the strength of the other players if they wanted a successful pass. I figured it was no different with this.

It was by no means a particularly good shot in terms of knife-throwing, but the blade of the dagger hit home and dropped into the snow. I smiled to myself, nodding at Lulu when she turned around to look at me with raised eyebrows. The black mage, while the larger machina was distracted, levitated my dagger to her hands and tossed it into the snow at my feet.

"Nice shot, Aey!" Rikku called happily. "Can you and Wakka switch off?" I looked at the red-haired blitzball player, who nodded.

"Sure!" he called, immediately taking out the little machine as it reappeared. I did it the next time, and soon the Crawler was nothing but a smoking, twisted pile of metal. I vaguely heard Tromell call, "My lady!" and Yuna follow him out of view, but that was lost in the yelling of Rikku and the young Al Bhed man.

"E femm damm Vydran!" she yelled angrily. "Oui dneat du gemm ic!"

"Translation?" I asked Auron quietly, who answered, "I will tell father…you tried to kill us."

"E ys dra guardian uv Yuna, oui caa?" Rikku called.

"I am the guardian of Yuna, you see," Auron said without need for prompting

"Oui tu drec ymuha, cecdan!" the young man said, and again the guardian murmured the same phrase in our language, "You do this alone, sister." With that, the Al Bhed disappeared, and Rikku turned back to the group, giggling nervously.

"I told him I was a guardian," she said sheepishly. "I guess I had to, really."

"How come you know Al Bhed?" Wakka asked suspiciously, and Tidus looked down, as did Rikku. "Why?"

"Because…because I'm Al Bhed," Rikku said softly. "And that was my brother." Wakka looked thunderstruck for a moment, his eyes widening in outrage as he turned to Tidus and Lulu.

"You knew?" he asked, and they nodded solemnly. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"We…knew you'd be upset," said the black mage, and I got the feeling she was choosing her words carefully.

"This is great," Wakka muttered. "I've been traveling with an Al Bhed--a heathen!"

"We have nothing against Yevon!" Rikku interrupted angrily. "We just--"

"But you use the forbidden machina! Sin was born because of that!" Wakka exclaimed, cutting her off.

"How do you know? Show me proof!" the Al Bhed said indignantly.

"It's in the teachings--not that you'd know!"

"Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you people think for yourself?!" Rikku asked, tapping her head as if to emphasize her words. Wakka began to reply, but his words went in one of my ears and straight out the other as I looked sideways to watch Auron sighing and walking over to one of the overturned snowmobiles the Al Bhed had left and kneeling, examining it intently. I caught Lulu's eye and shrugged, walking over to join him.

"Know anything about mechanics?" I asked, and he took a moment to reply.

"A little. Do you?" he inquired, and I shrugged.

"I can fix a broken sphere pool. It's not as hard as it sounds, really: they aren't very complex pieces of machinery." I realized that I was babbling a bit and stopped, peering at the complex working of gears and chains that made up the underside of the snowmobile. Auron stood and interrupted Wakka and Rikku's argument, calling, "Rikku! Will this move?"

Apparently glad to get away from the blitzball player, she nodded and ran over, squatting by the device and beginning to work on it.

"We're not using that, are we?" Wakka asked with a groan. "A machina?" Then, with a hint of sarcasm, "Sir Auron isn't Al Bhed too, is he?"

"Wakka…" Lulu said with a sigh. "Come on."

"Yeah, you and Rikku got along great before this, didn't you?" Tidus asked, jumping in. "Getting angry just 'cause she's an Al Bhed…"

"Yeah, but that's different…" Wakka began, but Tidus just kept talking.

"I don't know that much about Spira, and I know even less about the Al Bhed, but Rikku's just…Rikku. And I know she's a good person."

"Lu?" Wakka asked in exasperation, turning to the black mage, who shrugged.

"Just think of it as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed," she said, and the blitzer groaned and walked away. Tidus began to follow, but Auron held a hand up to stop him.

"Let him go. He needs time to think."

"Sorry," Rikku said in a small voice, and I shrugged.

"For what? Wakka just has some problems with the Al Bhed, but he liked Rin enough," I said, and she smiled gratefully.

"Well, at least _you all _don't have any issues with me," she said cheerfully, turning away as Tidus called, "Let's ride!" He was already seated on a snowmobile, and Kimahri righted the other machines before riding off without a word. Wakka hung back, watching with a scowl as the others all got onto their machina. Lulu sat behind Tidus, and Rikku jumped on a sleeker-looking one than the others to follow Kimahri with a last, "Skedaddle, you slowpokes!" called over her shoulder. Sensing that he needed some "alone-time," I gestured to the last empty snowmobile for one of the last guardians, to which the blitzer nodded in grudging gratitude.

"I take it you're riding with me, then," Auron said as Wakka rode off, and I nodded. (A/N: tell me you didn't see that coming. I know you did =D)

"If that's alright with you," I answered, shrugging and climbing onto the low seat behind him. He said nothing, only revved the small engine and took off to follow the others. We were spaced out, thanks to the narrow nature of the path we were riding on, and so I could only barely see Wakka in the distance. We were both silent for a couple of minutes, and finally I asked, "What do you think of the marriage?" Auron took a moment to answer.

"Have you ever noticed how you always begin any conversations we have?" he asked, deflecting the question, and I half-shrugged, wincing as it moved my shoulder.

"I have, actually, but you're avoiding the question."

"You're a sharp one." I wasn't sure if that was meant as a careless statement or a sarcastic one, so I waited, knowing he had to answer at some point. I was right, and finally Auron exhaled loudly.

"If Yuna were to ask me, I would say that it is not my decision," he said after a moment.

"Regardless, what do you think?" I interrupted. "What _you_ think, Auron. I don't care what you would say to Yuna, although I could probably have guessed that anyway." He turned his head slightly to look at me over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow, and hesitated again, though this time for so long that I began to wonder if the guardian was going to answer.

"I disapprove. As I said, it is not my decision to make, but the marriage in and of itself is a bad one. For one thing, it is made from a bargain and a desire to help the people of Spira--or, in Seymour's case, the desire to get what he wants--and either way it will only end badly. Yes, the people of Spira would be happy for awhile, but Seymour would find some way to distract her from her pilgrimage. He is manipulative and knows how to get what he needs, and he will stop at nothing to do it. That Yuna would be the victim of his endless treachery…" Auron stopped, shaking his head.

"So…why don't you say anything?" I asked, and he shook his head again.

"Speaking my mind about matters like these would not be a good idea. It would only confuse Yuna, loyal as she is to both her guardians and the people, along with her belief in what is right. She is naïve, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help often. Like her father before her, though Braska was much wiser about matters like these." Auron stopped, then, leaning lower over the handlebars of the snowmobile and not saying anything more for a couple of minutes. I didn't speak, either, pondering his words.

"So…" I said finally, and I could have sworn he sighed over the rushing wind. "Why don't you like Maester Seymour, exactly?"

"He puts his nose where it doesn't belong, especially now that he's a Maester. I suppose I'm also a bit…predisposed to harbor a dislike toward Maesters, anyway," the guardian answered, choosing his words with care.

"Why's that?"

No answer. And I knew enough to know that there wouldn't be one for the rest of the trip.

x.X._x_

**Tada! Little bit of a short chapter, or at least it seems that way to me. More of a filler than anything else ;)**

**Anyway, I never got why there could only be three people fighting at once. It's not like the other guardians would just stand there and twiddle their thumbs while their friends were in danger of death! I mean, seriously? If I know Tidus, he's not going to just watch the battle while Yuna is like, killed. I know, I know, it's a game, but you have to wonder about these things when you're rewriting it!**

**I always liked O'aka…and his accent. I'd always buy everything from him…maybe that's why I went broke early on...but he was SO COOL. And he actually STOOD UP FOR ME. And got TAKEN AWAY. And his (brother?) carried on the business on Gagazet! **

**In any case, danke to buddyzmama again, who I'm convinced is the only one that actively reads this. If you do, too, then PLEASEY PLEASEY PLEASE WITH A CHOCOBO ON TOP _REVIEW_! I've said before how they make me feel loved~**

**Shukran! (thank you in Arabic. ...Okay, I admit it. I Googled that one...hehe)**


	10. Shiva

**Hello again! I think I might have another ACTIVE reader, so happy day on that and a ginormous thank you to Auron's Moira! See, if you actively READ and REVIEW, you get mentioned! Isn't that nice? Yeah, I know...**

**Anyway, I don't own Final Fantasy. I DO, however, own Aey. So there. Muffins. And waffles.**

x.X.x

The others were already waiting by the time we skidded to a halt and got off the snowmobile, and Rikku showed everyone how to lock them before beginning to approach the temple. She was stopped by a man, who held up his hand to as if to force her back. "Halt!" he said sharply. "The likes of her are not welcome in this hallowed place."

"She is a guardian," Auron answered before Rikku could, stepping forward.

"An Al Bhed, a guardian?!" the man asked, his eyes widening. "Preposterous!"

"I've decided to be Yuna's guardian now, and that's all I want," Rikku said firmly, abandoning the summoner's nickname for the moment.

"And that's all one needs to be a guardian," Auron finished, looking over his shades at the man, who looked down and shuffled his feet.

"All right, all right," he muttered, stepping aside. Rikku grinned and skipped into the temple, with the others following at a calmer pace. As soon as we were inside, Shelinda appeared, performing a hurried prayer before saying to Tidus, "So Lady Yuna _is _getting married! You shouldn't kid around about these things, you know." Tidus shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck and tapping one foot anxiously on the ground.

"Yeah, I guess," he answered, then continued in a more serious tone, "Hey, do you know where Yuna _is_?"

"I believe…" Shelinda said slowly. "She has gone to the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour." He nodded, and began to head toward the door leading to the Chamber of the Fayth, but as soon as we reached the stairs a young woman burst out of a room to our right shouting, "Lord Jyscal!" She fell to her knees as the door closed behind her, and bawled, "A sphere in Lady Yuna's belongings!"

"So she watched it, of course," Lulu muttered beside me, and I smiled faintly before following the others into the room that the woman had come from. Auron was kneeling next to a sphere, picking it up and handing it to Tidus, saying, "This may well answer a few questions." He switched it on and set it on the floor, crouching to watch it while the rest of us leaned forward.

An image of Lord Jyscal, former leader of the Guado, appeared in the air, flickering and illuminated by bolts of lightning in the distance every now and then. Jyscal paused for a moment, and then spoke in a deep, gravelly voice.

"What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth. I swear it on my honor as a Guado," he began, pausing, and the people gathered around leaned in closer. "Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed even to me, a maester of Yevon. But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart." I heard Auron sigh quietly, shaking his head, as Jyscal continued. "He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira. I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted." Jyscal stopped and sighed, looking down for a moment. "I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds. But whoever is watching this…" There was a tangible change in the atmosphere as the people gathered around realized that he was speaking to them, and that he had been speaking to Yuna as well. "I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son…"

The image faded, and Tidus reached down to switch the sphere off as Auron murmured, "Wonderful."

"Will Yunie be all right?" Rikku asked worriedly, and the red-cloaked guardian began to leave the room, saying over his shoulder, "Without us, no." He walked out, and close behind were Kimahri, Rikku, and I. After a couple of moments, Lulu, Wakka, and Tidus appeared, and met us in the icy Cloister of Trials.

Auron nodded and led the way down, into a room with three pillars, each clearly meant to hold up part of the final path above us, where we could get to the Chamber of the Fayth. A glowing Glyph Sphere was pulsating in the center pillar, and Auron led the way down the path and grabbed it, fitting it into a stone pedestal that was standing near us and gesturing for Tidus to walk up to it.

"Push it toward the ice," he commanded, pointing, and the blonde blitzer nodded and shoved the pedestal, sending it sliding across the frozen, slippery floor and shattering the block of ice to our left. Auron gestured again toward the north, and Tidus now pushed the pedestal another way, cracking another ice formation and revealing a path sloping downward that had been hidden before.

"How do you know all this?" he asked, and the other guardian shrugged.

"I remember much from Braska's pilgrimage. You wouldn't want to figure this out on your own, believe me. It…tested all of our sanity, especially this one." Auron turned away, leading the others down the ramp, while Kimahri waited by the entrance and silently watched our progress. At the bottom of the ramp, the pedestal was waiting, and Auron took the Glyph Sphere from it again and walked west, setting it in a small recess in the wall. He looked up in satisfaction as a huge stone block rose from the ground, and walked back up the ramp to take the Macalania Sphere that was in it.

He paused for a moment, looking around the room--through if he was thinking or just resting I couldn't tell. Then Auron, without any explanation, suddenly walked forward and down the path again, putting the sphere into the pedestal Tidus had pushed and shoving it east, where it stopped under a broken pillar and supplied the magic needed for it to create a sheet of ice firm enough to walk on. One part of the final path down, two to go.

He sighed, walking back across the room and picking up a Macalania Sphere glowing in a niche in the far east, going back down the ramp. As Auron disappeared, Wakka threw up his hands and went to stand by Kimahri instead of following him again, muttering, "Man isn't gonna let us do anything, huh?" Lulu shrugged, following Auron back down with Rikku, Tidus and I, and we watched as he placed the sphere in the recess below ground. Auron began to walk back up, and as we followed he asked, "Are you going to do anything, or trail behind me like obedient children?" I shrugged.

"Well, what do you want us to do?" I asked, and I could hear a smirk in his voice as he replied, "Why don't you figure it out?" The guardian walked up the ramp to stand beside Wakka, and gestured for us to move. "Knock yourself out."

"Okay." I looked up, examining the path of snow above us. Only one more pillar to go before it would be complete, but the other spheres were being used for the other pillars.

"Let's go back down," Tidus suggested, beginning to walk back down below ground. Rikku bounced after him, and I shrugged at Lulu and followed. Auron laughed pityingly as Tidus and Rikku immediately began arguing about which sphere to pick.

"But this is the one that Auron just put in!" the Al Bhed exclaimed, her childlike voice bouncing off the walls.

"So maybe we need to use it twice!" Tidus countered, and began to reach for the sphere. Rikku slapped his hand away, answering, "But that won't do any good!"

"How about we try this?" I interjected, stepping forward and picking a random sphere, taking it out and glancing up. A sheet of ice disappeared on the pillar, and reappeared when I replaced the sphere, turning to another one. "Nope…uh-uh…not gonna work…" I said, and finally gave up when none of them worked. "So we know we can't use a sphere down here, right? Because any one that we use just makes a piece of the path disappear."

"Correctamundo," Rikku said, looking up. "So…which one do we use, huh?" Tidus shrugged.

"Well, none of them down here…so maybe one in the pillars?" he asked, and Rikku nodded.

"Okay!" She bounced up the ramp, and the rest of us followed her, watching as the Al Bhed picked a sphere at random and then flinched as part of the pathway of ice disappeared with a crashing sound above her. "Not that one," she said, almost to herself, as she shrugged. "So…maybe this one?" Rikku tried another sphere, only to have the same effect. She took yet another, and now the block of ice that the pedestal had shattered reappeared. "Oopsie!" Rikku said.

"No worries," Tidus said, putting one foot on the glowing glyph on the floor. "We can break it again." The pedestal reappeared, but broke the magic connection it had provided for the first pillar, and the sheet of ice disappeared on that one as well. Lulu groaned at the unneeded delay, but my eyes widened.

"You can do that?" I asked Tidus, gesturing to his foot on the glyph. He nodded.

"The pedestal just comes right back," he said, and then looked up guiltily at the first pillar. "Hehe, oops."

"No way," I said, walking forward. "So I can push the pedestal anywhere and it'll just come back?"

"Yeah," Tidus answered, and I grinned.

"Sweet!" I pushed the pedestal off the edge of the Cloister of Trials, watching it fall into the darkness below for a moment, before stepping on the glowing glyph. It reappeared right where it was before, and my eyes widened. "That is beyond awesome." I pushed it off the edge again, then stepped on the glyph, and felt myself beaming like a kid in a candy shop. Lulu rolled her eyes. "You, Aey, are beyond hopeless," she said, and I laughed.

"Try it!" I said, and the black mage shook her head.

"No thanks. I'm having enough fun watching you make a fool out of yourself." I rolled my eyes, pushing the pedestal around for a little while and returning to step on the glyph before finally sighing as I heard Auron's voice. "Focus, Aey."

"Fine. But I bet _you _never had this much fun in a temple!"

"Don't know if you've noticed," Wakka interrupted. "But you're pushing a stone pedestal around and stepping on a glyph, ya? There really isn't much to it."

"Well, pardon me for adding a little color to the pilgrimage," I answered with a grin, and Lulu covered her face with her hand. "Facepalm," I told her, gesturing. She glanced up at me from under her hand, raising an eyebrow.

"How much sake did you give her, Auron?" the black mage asked, and he shook his head.

"None."

"Interesting." I rolled my eyes at them both.

"All right, all right. I'm focused," I said, pushing the pedestal back down the ramp and completing the first pillar again. Lulu and Tidus followed, but as we were walking back up the ramp Rikku appeared, examining a sphere at the top.

"Wonder what this is…?" she mused, taking it out. Just as she did, the ramp disappeared from under our feet, and Tidus let out a yell as we all plummeted to the ground.

"What the…?!" he exclaimed. "What did you do, Rikku?!" She shrugged.

"Hey, I dunno! I just took the sphere out and…" she said, but I groaned and muttered, "Oh, we're such _idiots_." Then, in a louder voice, "_That's _the sphere for the last pillar! The one for the ramp!"

"Oh!" Rikku practically shrieked, putting the sphere back in for us to climb back up to the first level. "I get it!"

"Figure it out?" Auron asked with a smirk as the Al Bhed skipped to the pillar and put the sphere in, finally creating the path.

"Yep!" she said cheerfully, and Auron nodded and led the way back up, stopping just before entering the Chamber of the Fayth. He looked back, and waited for a now-somber nod from the others before stepping aside for Tidus. The blonde blitzball player burst into the door, Lulu, Wakka, Kimahri, Rikku, Auron, and me close behind, and shouted, "Seymour!"

"Please, be silent." The Maester had his back turned to us, but I could hear the leer in his voice. "Lady Yuna prays to the Fayth."

"Make me!" Tidus snarled. Seymour turned and walked slowly down the steps, hands clasped behind his back, and leaned down so that his face was inches from Tidus'. At that moment, the double doors behind him opened, and Yuna walked out, looking stricken. "Yuna!" Tidus yelled, but her attention was on the Maester.

"But why?!" she asked, and he smiled angelically and turned back to her.

"We saw Jyscal's sphere," the blitzer growled behind Seymour.

"You killed him." Auron's voice was quiet, but no less furious. The half-Guado turned, tilting his head to one side, and asked innocently, "What of it? Lady Yuna, surely you knew of these things, did you not?" Yuna stumbled over her words, finally getting out a nod, and the Maester said smoothly, "Why, then, have you come?"

"I came…" the summoner began, clearing her throat. "I came to stop you!" She crossed the room to stand beside her guardians, and Seymour sighed.

"You came to punish me then." There was a dangerously quiet note in his voice, and he extended one hand toward Yuna, who backed away. "Pity," he murmured, and as soon as the word had left his lips, the guardians stepped forward to stand in front of Yuna. "Ah, yes," Seymour said with a smirk. "'Protect the summoner even at the cost of one's life,' the Code of the Guardian. How admirable. Well, if you're offering your lives…" he said lightly, as if the topic was no more important than the weather, "I will have to take them." Seeing Yuna prepare to fight as well, he sighed and murmured, "So be it."

Lulu immediately cast Thundara, a spell she had mastered only days before, and Auron and Tidus darted in to attack Seymour as Yuna did her best to heal them and give them strength. (A/N: just some trivia: Tidus, Auron, Lulu, and Yuna are the people I normally use, and the people that generally are the most powerful by the end of the game. Rikku as well, sometimes).

After what couldn't have been more than two minutes of fighting, Seymour blocked the last magic attack from Lulu and closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose and raising his arms. "Feel my pain…" he whispered, and then yelled, "Come, Anima!"

Out of the ground rose a horrific sight: some sort of reptilian creature, chained and manacled, with two pale, human arms wrapped around its neck as well as its own. The aeon from Luca, Anima. It roared, a sound filled with agony and impossible to bear as it grated on my eardrums, even as I clapped my palms over my ears.

"Yuna! The new aeon!" Tidus yelled, and the summoner nodded, face screwed up in concentration as she summoned her newly granted aeon. Anima bellowed again as Seymour commanded the wretched creature, swinging its head from side to side and letting a beam of red light spread from its body and envelope Yuna and her guardians. I felt my energy draining, and my vision dimmed for a moment before I fumbled in a pouch at my side and downed a potion, straightening and tossing one to Yuna. She nodded, getting to her feet and continuing with the summoning.

Shards of ice fell behind her, and crystallized inside them was a woman, who shattered them with a wave of her hand and opened her eyes, carelessly flinging her cloak onto Yuna's shoulders. She pivoted on one foot and lashed out with a savage kick to Anima, who countered with the same attack as last time.

She casted Blizzara on herself, almost fully recovering, and again began trying to beat the other aeon down, while every time Anima used its normal attack she seemed to get more and more angry and determined, until finally she was able to spin in midair, packing layer upon layer of ice on Anima until it was almost buried.

She stopped, letting one hand drift carelessly down, and snapped her fingers, shattering the ice in a devastating attack that shook the walls of the temple. Anima screeched and descended slowly back into the ground, and Seymour yelled, "That power that defeated Anima…it shall be mine!"

"Over my dead body," I muttered, switching with Yuna in the front line of battle and waiting as Seymour reappeared.

"Nul spells," Auron said quietly to her as she passed, and the summoner nodded. I looked at him with raised eyebrows, and he shook his head. "It isn't hard to tell with Seymour." Still not entirely comprehending what he was saying, I shrugged and nodded, focusing on the Maester again.

The purpose for NulShock, NulBlaze, NulTide, and NulFrost soon became clear, as Seymour began casting multiple elemental spells that were just too powerful to counter. Thanks to Yuna, though she was rapidly losing her strength, we had most of the immunities we needed to get through the fight, and finally Seymour fell to his knees. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and Yuna ran forward to kneel beside him.

"Yuna…" the Maester began in a hoarse voice. "You would pity me now?" She began to reply, but he crumpled onto his back, arms spread out from his body. Yuna slowly closed his eyes, bowing her head, and Tromell burst in.

"L-lord Seymour!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling. "What happened here?!"

"What have I done?" Wakka murmured, and Tidus looked up.

"Wait a minute!" he said. "It's not our fault at all! Seymour struck first! He's the bad guy!" Tromell stood from where he was kneeling by his lord's side, and said incredulously, "You did this?!"

"Yuna," Auron said quietly. "Send him." The summoner began to step forward, raising her staff, but Tromell got between them, his too-large hands waving wildly in his anger, and one of them struck Yuna, who stumbled sideways. I felt Auron tense beside me, his grip tightening on the hilt of his katana while the other hand clenched into a fist, hidden in his robes.

"Stop!" Tromell cried. "Stay away from him, traitors!"

"Traitors?" Yuna whispered, standing. "But--"

But Tromell and the other Guado had already disappeared, carrying Seymour between them. Tidus looked disbelieving. "Now hold on just a minute!" he exclaimed. "Seymour's the bad guy, right? We'll just explain to everyone what happened!"

"It won't be that easy," Auron answered, watching the Guado go. "Let's get out of here."

x.X.x

**Tada! Nice and long-ish! Kind of maybe sorta not really...  
**

**I always liked Seymour, for some reason...he was just so COOLIONESSBEANS! And...stuff.**

**Anyway, the usual: trying to keep Aey a non-Sue, trying to keep Auron I.C., etc. You know the drill ;) **

**Lessee...I wanted to say something else....hmmm...it'll come to me in a sec...**

**Ah, well.**

**Merci beaucoup! (yeah, I Googled the last part. It means "thank you very much" in French)**


	11. Under the Lake

**Hello there! *waves to Auron's Moira and buddyzmama* I really should get some sleep ^^**

**E muja oui for reading!**

**I don't own FFX. I own Aey. Waffles.**

x.X.x

Tidus took off, and close behind him was Rikku and Yuna. Lulu glanced at me, and I nodded and bolted, coming up behind the Al Bhed.

"Faster!" Rikku cried, turning around to see the Guado coming up close behind us. I felt a shock running up my legs each time my feet hit the ground, and I gasped and turned as a Guado caught up to us, cornering everyone on the thin ice path. His comrades were close behind, and Auron didn't hesitate in lashing out and slicing the fiend in front of us to ribbons. Lulu took a deep breath, letting out a yell and whipping her hands out, sending a Thunder spell out and shocking the Guado, swaying when he collapsed to his knees and exploded into pyreflies. Her eyes widened, and I caught the black mage by the shoulders to steady her.

"We've got to move," Auron said firmly, staring at her. If I knew Lulu, she either hadn't meant to kill him or didn't take the Guado's death lightly at all.

"Hey, I would have done the same. You're a guardian, you do what you have to," I said, shaking her slightly. "C'mon, Lu, we've got to go." She shook her head, at a loss for words, and I grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward, breaking into a run with the others at our side. We only barely outran the Guado that had come up behind us in the heat of the fight, and slipped and slid on the ice path until coming out on the frozen lake again with two or three pale-skinned natives behind us. They put on a burst of speed and blocked us off, turning and calling a few harsh words in another language. From behind the hill plodded a huge beast, covered in snow-white fur and with eyes glowing scarlet. It bellowed, and the Guado took up positions at its flank.

I stood beside Lulu, nodding at her and darting forward, still breathing hard from the run and delivering a punch to the side of his head, careful not to use the spikes on the knuckles of my gloves. I didn't want to kill the Guado, and I saw Lulu bow her head as she saw my intentions. I smiled apologetically, resting a hand on her shoulder as I passed, and the black mage tried casting a weaker spell than before.

"Don't be afraid to fight," Auron said when the Thunder spell only staggered him. "You're protecting a summoner, not the Guado. They're trying to kill you." The black mage nodded and sighed, switching places with Tidus and lingering in the back, standing in front of Yuna. I nodded again at her, running forward to punch the other Guado and knock him out. He succeeded in casting Protect on the Wendigo before he succumbed to unconsciousness, and Auron growled his frustration. "Go for the eyes next time," he told me, and I dipped my head and bounced on my toes, waiting for my chance to arise again.

Auron rain forward with a yell and stabbed the creature for all he was worth, his katana burying itself into the beast's thick, wiry fur and weakening it enough. "Lulu!" he called, and she summoned her energy and cast Thundara, causing the Wendigo to sway. It pooled its last reserves of strength, however, and jumped up and down on the ice, cracking it and causing us to fall into the lake below. I screamed before water gushed into my mouth and nose, filling my eyes and closing my senses to anything but the cold.

Had I not been a blitzball player, I might have died. I choked and coughed, flailing as I fell into the waves until my blitzball instincts took over, and I forced myself to stop breathing and slowly exhale until the water was out of my lungs. Thanks to the pyreflies, we could breathe normally, but that didn't stop the entrance into the water from being any less traumatic. The little bits of magical matter took a little while to do their work, but it was an interesting experience to cough up water while actually submerged.

We floated slowly down to the sandy bottom of the lake, able to walk around normally, and I saw a distinct hem of a black dress just barely visible from behind a broken, twisted piece of metal. With a quick glance at Yuna, who was being dutifully guarded by Kimahri, with Tidus, Rikku, Wakka, and Auron nearby, I walked toward her. She looked up as I sat down next to her, shoulder-to-shoulder, and sighed.

"You did what you had to," I said gently.

"I killed him." Lulu's voice was choked, only just more than a whisper, and it quavered as she looked down at her lap. "I might have been the cause for an orphaned child or a widowed wife…"

"And those Guado might have been the cause for Yuna's death. Or Wakka's," I added with a wry smile, and a spark of interest lit the black mage's eyes.

"What…?" she began, and I waved it off.

"I'm not blind, Lu. I can hear love in your voice every time you yell at him," I said, punching her shoulder lightly. A small smile tugged up the corners of her mouth.

"You're one to talk," she countered, and I was relieved to see that she had forgotten her sadness for now. "You're always leaving me to go stand next to Sir Auron."

"I am not!" I protested. "He has valuable information."

"And I don't?"

"Well…that's different."

"How? Don't deny it, Aey."

"I've told you before that it's a friendship," I said firmly. "F-r-i-e-n-d-s-h-i-p."

"Spell it any way you want to, you're still lying," Lulu answered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Give me one good reason why," I replied, poking her in the shoulder.

"Hmm…I really don't have to think much."

"Mmm-hmm. Right. Anyway, you want to see some blitz?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"I think we all need a little cheering-up."

"Alrighty, then. I'll go talk to Tidus." I got up, swimming over to the blonde guardian and dragging my feet in the sand to stop the water currents from washing me away. He looked up, and I asked, "You in the mood for a game or two? Wakka as well," I added, looking at the islander. They both nodded, perking up a bit at the prospect of some blitzball, and as we swam upward a bit Wakka said, "We gonna have three different teams?"

"You bet!" Tidus answered, punching the air--well, the water. I nodded.

"Mind if we use your blitzball?" I asked, and the red-haired guardian shook his head, asking, "Where are the goals gonna be?"

"Over there, there, and there," I answered, pointing to a crevasse to our left, a sunken boat to our right, and a mound of metal behind us.

"Let's blitz!" Tidus called, swimming off, and Wakka let the ball drift down to be thrown up again by Rikku.

"Ready…set…GO!" she yelled, launching it up, and I swam for it, almost immediately being knocked aside by Tidus. I flipped in the water, swimming back toward him and letting a punch fly at his face, knocking the blitzball away and grabbing it, racing for my own goal and launching it. It hit the ship and bounced off, and Rikku called, "Score!" I grinned and propelled it back down toward the Al Bhed, winking hugely at a playful glare from Tidus. Rikku threw it up again, and this time Wakka caught it, knocking me back as he swam, and kicked it toward his goal. It hit the crevasse and disappeared inside, floating out a moment later to be caught by Rikku.

"I think we need goalies," Tidus muttered after a couple more rounds, and I shrugged.

"I suppose the game will go too fast if we don't have them," I said. "But we don't have any more players."

"Well, why can't we substitute? Who knows how to blitz?"

"Lu does, but I'm not sure she'd want to play. Rikku would want to play, but she doesn't know how, and Yuna's still unconscious. Somehow I doubt Auron or Kimahri would have a very good time…" I trailed off, and Tidus shrugged.

At that moment, Yuna rolled over with a small sigh, and he swam downward without a second thought to meet her. Wakka and I followed, abandoning our game, and Tidus yelled, "Yuna!" She looked up, standing, and all was silent for a moment as the summoner's guardians gathered around her. Then, without prelude, she murmured, "I wanted to confront Maester Seymour about his father, Lord Jyscal. I…I wanted to convince him to turn himself in to Yevon's judgement."

"In exchange for marriage?" Lulu asked disbelievingly.

"If…if that's what it took," Yuna said softly.

"So what'd Seymour say?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nothing. He didn't say anything. Now…" she stopped, closing her eyes and blinking back tears. "Now I don't even think it was worth it. I should've told you what I was going to do." Yuna's voice was choked, and as Tidus began to reply, Auron interrupted.

"Enough." His voice was firm and hard. "Dwelling in the past is futile." Yuna looked up, brushing away her tears and closing her eyes again.

"I…I know," she murmured, and Rikku stepped forward and put her hand on the summoner's shoulder.

"Our immediate concern is Yuna's pilgrimage. Are you willing to go on?" His voice was impassive, betraying none of his emotions, and the summoner seemed to draw strength from her guardian's.

"Yes. But then, do you think Yevon will allow it?" she asked hesitantly, and Auron didn't reply for a moment.

"The fayth are the ones that give power to the summoners. Not the temples or the teachings. If the temples try to stop us…" he paused, shaking his head, "then we will defy Yevon if we must." There was a collective gasp that rose from the group, along with outraged exclamations from the others before they got a handle on themselves.

"Count me out," Wakka said immediately. "I mean, no way I'm ever forgiving Maester Seymour, ya? But the bunch of us going against Yevon? No way." Yuna was the only one who remained calm, saying quietly, "We must go to Bevelle. We will plead out case to Maester Mika. There is no other way, I think."

"I agree," Wakka said, clearly relieved to move away from the subject of defying Yevon.

"Sir Auron…" Yuna began hesitantly, and I exchanged a glance with Lulu as he looked at her.

"So it is decided," the guardian said, and Yuna paused.

"Will you come with us?" she asked, with a deliberate tone, and Auron looked up, nodding.

"I am the troublemaker, after all," he said emotionlessly, and Tidus grinned, lightening the mood as he said, "Yeah! You can always count on Auron to complicate things!" The guardian looked sideways at Jecht's son, as if comparing them, but Tidus only smiled wider. He shook his head, walking away and disappearing amidst the pieces of metal, and Tidus turned away.

I noticed Lulu, drifting away with a distant look in her eyes as she retreated back to the place where she had been previously sitting, and I followed, knowing that she was still feeling overburdened from the death of the Guado. I walked up to her, sitting down next to the black mage again and putting my arm comfortingly around her shoulders. "You keep moping like this and I'm going to have to call someone," I said, but she sighed and put her head in her hands. Lulu wouldn't cry, but her voice broke as she answered quietly, "What would Chappu think of me?"

"Chappu was a Crusader, wasn't he? He had probably done what you did and more, multiple times. My guess is that he would tell you that you did your duty as a guardian and sacrificed your…innocence for it. Don't let it distract you."

"Have _you _ever killed anyone, Aey?" the black mage suddenly asked, rounding on me with tears in her eyes. "Have you ever given yourself the power to take someone's life in your hands?"

"No," I said, and she nodded.

"Then you don't know how it feels. I just feel…depressed, like I'm carrying the sadness of his family on my shoulders. And none of you know what it's like! I'm the only one of this group that's ever _killed _anyone."

"No, you're not," I interrupted, holding a hand up to silence her. "You aren't the only one who's ever been the cause of a death." I looked pointedly at Auron, and Lulu sighed.

"I wouldn't want to distract him."

"Yes, you would. Believe me--it helps." The black mage hesitated, and I chuckled suddenly. "You aren't afraid of him, are you?"

"No!" she objected. "But…he is the legendary guardian of Lord Braska…"

"And Yuna's the legendary daughter of Lord Braska, but I don't see you getting all nervous around _her_. Go on." I waited, but when Lulu still paused, I sighed and walked forward.

"Auron?" I asked, and he turned, raising an eyebrow. I kicked myself for being as nervous as Lulu, but plowed on. "You think you could…talk to Lulu? She's kind of…guilty, I guess." I waited.

"She would have to come to me, if she really asks my help," he answered, and I nodded.

"Okay. Um…now?" I asked, and Auron shrugged. I took that as a yes, and went back to the black mage. "Tada," I told her, giving her a little shove forward. "And you better come back enlightened." Despite herself, Lulu smiled, and turned and walked toward Auron. I watched them for a moment, happy that she seemed to be getting it off her chest, but felt a slight twinge as I watched the other guardian reply so readily. He certainly never spoke so much to me. The twinge came stronger as Auron nodded at her, seeming to get more involved in the conversation, and I realized that I was jealous. Why was he speaking so much to Lulu, the black mage he probably hadn't really talked to until now? Auron was always tense and quiet around me, or at least compared to this. Was he just in a better mood? Had his mood _changed _so quickly, then?

"Hey." A voice interrupted my thoughts, and I turned to face Rikku, who was watching me watch Auron and Lulu. "They make a cute couple, huh?" I almost recoiled, remembering my vehement protests to the mage's constant statements about how it was 'more than a friendship.' Had she possibly taken that as an invitation to get to know him in a different way?

"Real cute," I said, trying to keep some of the bitterness out of my voice. Well, I _wanted _to just be friends with Auron, didn't I? There was no way we'd have room for so many different relationships on the pilgrimage, what with Yuna and Tidus, what I had _thought _was Wakka and Lulu…

Rikku's laughter shook me out of my reverie. "You should see the look on your face," she giggled from behind her hand. "You know I was kidding, right?"

"What?" I asked, turning to the Al Bhed. She chuckled.

"C'mon, Aey. You know that Lulu and Wakka only have eyes for each other. Every time she yells at him, you can just _feel _the love," she answered, and I smiled despite my misgivings.

"Mm-hmm. What's your point?"

"My point is that you don't need to worry. I saw that look on your face when they started talking."

"What look?"

Rikku sighed teasingly, adopting a slightly surprised, only minutely angry expression. "This look," she answered, staring at me, and I chuckled.

"Okay, okay. I get your point. Is that why you wanted to come over here?"

"Sorta. I just wanted to reassure you," the Al Bhed said with a wink. I shrugged.

"Just because Lulu isn't going to try anything…" I began, and she grinned.

"Oh, open your eyes. You two are adorkable together!"

"'Adorkable,' Rikku?"

"Yep!" With that, the Al Bhed skipped away, and I shook my head and turned as Lulu walked back toward me.

"Well?" I asked, and she sighed, answering, "He understood, and helped, but I still can't shake the feeling." I nodded, saying, "Well, I suppose that'll go away with time." Lulu nodded, retreating to her hidden corner again, and I walked absently over to Auron.

"Yes?" he asked, and I shrugged. "Why so reserved?"

"Mm-m," I sighed, rolling my shoulders again. Auron glanced sideways at me.

"You don't know?" he repeated.

"Just…thinking." That had always been my answer, when I was asked what I was doing just standing there. It usually had an unfortunate follow-up question, though, which Auron did not fail to ask.

"Thinking about what?"

I hesitated, saying finally, "The pilgrimage." It was true, in a way. I was thinking about Auron, so I was technically thinking about the pilgrimage as well, and its summoner and guardians.

"Care to go into specifics?"

"Not really."

"Ur, Aey. Fa pudr ghuf oui'na moehk," Auron said with a mocking smile, speaking fluent Al Bhed. I raised my eyebrows.

"That's hardly fair," I said, smiling coyly. "I don't know as many languages as you do."

"Then perhaps you should ask Rikku."

"Maybe I should. I might, if I could remember exactly what you said."

x.X.x

**I'll let you guess what Auron said ;)**

**It really wasn't much, but I felt like writing in Al Bhed...**

**Anyway, the usual. You know the drill by now ;)**

**PLEASE REVIEW. I LOVE REVIEWS. Seriously, I grin every time I find a review in my inbox. It just makes my day, and more often than not cures my frequent writer's block.**

**Dryhg oui! (thank you in Al Bhed)**


	12. Home

**Hey! I'm not dead!**

**Sorry for the lapse in updates, I've been having some bad writer's block...**

**So, just as a warning, there're gonna be some changes, but not ones that'll majorly impact the storyline. Just some modifications, so be warned ;)**

**(Not in this chapter, but probably in the next couple)**

**I don't own FFX--I do own Aey.**

x.X.x

Auron let a ghost of a smile show on his face, sighing and turning away to look up at the weak sunlight filtering through the water and fading away before it reached the bottom. His gaze shifted to Tidus, sitting on the sandy lake bottom and looking defeated. The death of Seymour had affected him as well as the rest of us, I thought. Even his happy-go-lucky personality had been crushed for the moment. Auron walked over to him, beginning to say something, and I looked over my shoulder at Yuna, who was sitting in much the same position as the blitzer.

She looked up as I came and sat down beside her, resting my hands clasped in my lap and following her gaze to Tidus and Auron. The summoner sighed, smiling slightly at me as I absently pulled my hair back, waiting for her to say something.

"Sir Auron is unhappy," she said finally, her voice unusually soft.

"He always is," I answered gently, looking sideways at her.

"But why this time? I would think that he would never want to defy Yevon… I just don't understand."

"Well," I answered carefully, wondering what to say without betraying anything Auron might not want out in the open. "He was a warrior monk, so perhaps he learned that sometimes you just…do what you have to. Although, I suppose you could learn that in life itself."

"Why did he hate Maester Seymour so?"

"Probably because of what he did to Lord Jyscal. He said that he was already…predisposed to dislike Maesters when I asked him about it, so…" I trailed off, and Yuna looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Because of Maester Kinoc? I remember that he and Sir Auron used to be good friends, when I was little." I shrugged.

"Perhaps." Petty jealously did not fit Auron's character, though. It had to be something other than the fact that Kinoc had become a Maester and Auron hadn't. "Maybe he just didn't like the way Kinoc had become when he reached the title of Maester, and so he thought that all Maesters were like that," I said, voicing my thoughts. Yuna nodded.

"I suppose," Yuna answered, sighing. "I just wish I had his full support, or he would tell us what was wrong."

"I know he has his reasons."

The summoner nodded, looking up in confusion as the singing that had been ringing through the water stopped. "What…?" she began, but didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as a low rumbling drowned her voice out. I stood, pulling Yuna up with me, and looked up as a shadow fell over us, along with a familiar shape: Sin. Yuna covered her mouth with one hand, stepping back as the rumbling rose in volume, and blinding light flashed through the lake. I heard someone scream, and then the world went dark.

I opened my eyes, tasting sand, and slowly sat up, spitting the grit out of my mouth and rubbing it from my eyes. I was sitting in the middle of a desert, with nothing but sand dunes for miles around. I stood, wincing as my muscles protested, and tried in vain to look over the horizon. Nothing.

I dug in the sand, taking hold of a strap and pulling my shoulder pack out. It was in good condition, considering the beating it had taken so far, and still held my gloves and blitzball. Lulu always told me it was extra weight, but it had come in handy so far, both as a type of security blanket and something to hold potions and random little treasures gathered from fiends.

After a moment's consideration, I started walking, without any clear idea where I was heading. I had to get somewhere if I walked long enough. Besides, there really wasn't anything better to do. If I were a summoner, I would have summoned Valefor and flown above the desert, but I was a guardian. Yuna may have had the same idea, but there was no way to tell now, and there were no deserts in Spira that I knew of anyway. I was about as lost as I could possibly be.

An hour passed, then two, and finally I stopped and sat down, leaning back onto the sand and wiping the sweat off my brow for what seemed like the hundredth time. I looked up halfheartedly, not really expecting to see anything, and was startled to find a dark black, oddly familiar patch on the horizon. I jumped up, shaking myself and blinking to clear my head before taking off at a run, calling, "Lulu!" The black mage turned, her eyes widening in surprise as I skidded to a stop, spraying sand.

"Aey!" she exclaimed. "You're safe!"

"Have you found anyone else?" I asked breathlessly, and she shook her head.

"No. We are near a desert oasis, though: perhaps there will be someone there." I nodded, answering, "Sounds good." Lulu appraised me for a moment, finally gesturing to her Moogle and asking, "Want some water?" I nodded vehemently, taking the small orb of water that she handed me and gulping it down.

"Thanks, Lu" I said, wiping my mouth on my sleeve. The black mage nodded, turning and pointing toward the oasis she had described. I shrugged, following her, and we soon came upon a distinct red cloaked figure and another blonde-haired foreigner finishing off a huge, flying fiend. Tidus turned and waved.

"Hey, guys!" he called. I raised my hand in greeting, stopping before the two guardians. "Have you gotten anyone else?" the blitzer asked, and Lulu shook her head solemnly.

"I had only just reached my senses when Aey found me," she answered, and I nodded.

"Then there's no time to waste," Auron interjected. "We search." He started off, the others close behind, and I took a towel from my pack and wiped the perspiration off my face. Tidus gave a knowing grin.

"This is when being a blitzer gets tough," he said, nodding his gratitude as I handed him another towel.

"No kidding. You get used to spending most of your time in the water, and then you get into a desert and you feel like you're going to die," I sighed, pulling my hair back. "Wonder how Wakka's faring."

"Probably better than us. He spends about an equal time practicing on dry land, in the heat, as he does in the sphere pool. You and I both have our own water-filled arenas to practice in," the young guardian said with a wink, and I nodded.

"Hey, Lu?" I asked, catching up to her. She turned, giving a "hm?" to show that she was listening, and I held out a water bottle that my fingers had just wrapped around. The black mage rolled her eyes teasingly, filling it with Watera and quirking an eyebrow when I gulped more than three fourths of it down. She filled it again, and I handed it back to Tidus, who did the same.

"Do you really need that much water?" the black mage asked, and I nodded.

"You'd be surprised how much you get used to the water after spending most of your life in it. A desert is pure hell for us blitzers."

"Mm," Lulu answered, and I poured the rest of the water on my head, rubbing it across my neck and sighing.

"There's Wakka," Auron called, pointing briefly. The red-haired native was sitting under a twisted piece of metal, and he stood and called a greeting as we walked into earshot.

"Where's Yuna?" he asked, and I looked down. Only Auron had the self-control to answer, "We haven't found her." Tidus scuffled the ground with his feet, and Lulu seemed to be very interested in a sand dune on the horizon. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Dammit!" the blitzer finally said, surprising me with his sudden anger. "First I lose Yuna, then I'm ambushed by machina!" He kicked the metal he had been sitting under, but drew his foot back with a low curse and knelt to massage it. "Great day I'm having." I shrugged, sighing, and Auron walked on. I glanced at Lulu and Tidus, nodding, and ran ahead to catch up to him while Wakka lagged behind with the other two.

As soon as I fell into step beside him, however, I couldn't think of anything to say. Auron glanced impassively sideways at me, and I met his gaze for a moment before looking back at the horizon.

"Did you want to say something, or were you simply getting exasperated from walking alongside Tidus, and instead came up here?" the guardian finally asked. I laughed despite myself.

"Kind of both."

"What do you want to say, then?" The question caught me off-guard. I _had _said that it was both, but what could I possibly say? I settled with a shrug, and Auron sighed.

"You are being infuriatingly vague."

"I know."

"Why the sudden silence? You're usually talking at least three times as much as I am." I winced inwardly. Did I talk that much?

"Why are _you _keeping the conversation going now?" I challenged in response. Auron hesitated, the only surprise showing in his eye.

"Because you aren't."

"Well, maybe I don't want to talk."

"Then you could have said that five minutes ago." There was a razor-sharp edge to his voice, and I sighed after my momentary surprise. So this was going to be _that _kind of day.

I looked up, and in the distance saw Kimahri, who as we walked up to him slid back down the sand dune he had been trying to climb and shook his head with a growl, saying, "Yuna…gone."

"It's not your fault, Kimahri!" Tidus piped up, but the Ronso shook his massive head again and started off. The others followed, and this time I hung back with Lulu, lost in thought. She glanced sideways at me, then switched her gaze to Auron, then back at me with a questioning look. I nodded, knowing that she was asking if he was the reason for whatever was wrong, and didn't ask how she knew. We kept walking in silence, and soon a familiar shape was in view. Rikku jumped up to greet us with a happy, "Oh, hey guys!" She paused, looking around the group, and her expression changed to one of concern. "Where's Yunie?"

"Gone." Tidus' voice was completely drained of his usual enthusiasm, and beside me I heard Lulu sigh and echo him.

"Gone…some guardian I am," she muttered. Rikku looked down, scuffling her feet a bit, and said, "Umm…there's something I wanna tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone, 'kay?" She looked at Wakka, who had his arms folded over his chest, and her eyebrows lowered a little in a pout. "No glaring, either!"

After a moment, the blitzer stiffly unfolded his arms and let his hands hang at his side, but his eyes were still hard and cold. Rikku plowed on, looking away and regaining a little bit of her usual cheeriness as she said, "I know where we are! We're on Bikanel Island, and there's a place we Al Bhed call Home near here! Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed must have come and rescued her!"

"Rescued?!" Wakka scoffed, interrupting, and I exchanged a glance with Lulu as he spoke. "More like kidnapped!" Rikku looked hurt, and Tidus answered crossly, "What does it matter as long as she's safe?"

"That's right!" the Al Bhed said, her lower lip jutting out a bit. "Anyway, I will take you there if you promise that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonites, okay?" She waited as some members of the party nodded and others muttered their assent. "You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'll do if they knew?" This time, she looked pointedly at Wakka, who threw his hands up.

"What're you accusing Yevon of this time?" the blitzer growled, and Rikku glared at him with only the innocence of a fifteen-year-old.

"Yevon did something really bad to us before," she said, still pouting a bit.

"Well, you Al Bhed must have deserved it," Wakka answered hotly, and the girl was about to reply when Tidus interrupted with a groan.

"Can't you guys talk about this later?!" he asked, clearly wanting to be on his way to find Yuna. Rikku nodded, and looked back at Wakka.

"Just promise not to tell anyone about Home, okay?" she asked, and he finally nodded. Rikku inclined her head as if sealing the matter and began bouncing off over the desert. We followed, and again I quickened my pace to walk alongside Lulu, near the front of the group.

"So what's wrong?" she asked, and I took a moment to answer.

"I suppose nothing much. I just feel…awkward every time I get near him," I answered, keeping my voice at a safely low volume.

"Awkward how?" the black mage inquired, her voice as quiet as mine. I shrugged before replying, "Like I don't know what to say. I feel like I talk too much."

"Well, I'm surprised it's taken this long." I turned to Lulu in surprise, and she gave a small smile. "I know that any time anyone but you gets near Sir Auron and tries to make conversation, they always walk off feeling inarticulate and annoying. He just talks too little."

"And you would know from firsthand experience?" I asked wryly. She chuckled.

"Indeed. Although Tidus seems immune to it as well." I nodded, but my attention was averted from our conversation at a scream of horror from Rikku, standing on top of a sand dune and staring glassy-eyed down. I picked up the pace and stood next to her, my gaze falling on Home. A pillar of smoke rose and turned the sky black, and fiends circled above the twisted, burning carnage like vultures.

"No!" Rikku shrieked, taking off down the sand dune and barreling into Home with the others close behind. She skidded to a halt as a sheet of metal crashed down right behind us, and Auron moved forward, saying, "Don't stop!" The Al Bhed took off again, running through the city and pausing again as a young, sandy-blonde man clutched his stomach and collapsed in front of her, blood pooling on the ground below him.

"Keyakku!" Rikku asked, dropping to her knees beside him. "Who? Who's attacking us?! Fru tet drec du oui?!"

"Yevon…" the man rasped. "Guado…" His eyes glazed over as his lips moved, and he stiffened before exhaling, dead.

"Keyakku?! Keyakku!" Rikku sobbed, shaking him. Lulu pursed her lips.

"A war?" she mused. "Between Yevon and the Al Bhed?" Rikku looked up and babbled incoherent Al Bhed, looking back down at Keyakku with tears in her emerald eyes. She glanced up as another Al Bhed approached, kneeling next to the young man and feeling for his pulse before shaking his head and standing again.

"Vydran…" Rikku started, but he held up a hand and turned to the other guardians.

"You Rikku's friends?" he asked in fluent Spiran. "Well, don't just stand there! Let's kick these Guado out of our Home!" He ran into the inner part of Home, with everyone but Tidus and Rikku following. They entered behind us after a moment, and Wakka called, "Yuna! Where are you!?" The man that had been leading us had disappeared, probably off to fight, but I took almost no notice as I searched for the summoner.

"Look out!" I called, spinning to meet a Guado soldier and three fiends come up behind us. Auron pivoted, easily slicing through one of them and making it gush with pyreflies, and I ran forward to stab viciously with my gloved fists. Lulu's magic was close behind, and the second fiend fell.

"Tidus, Rikku!" Auron commanded. "Take care of the Guado!" Rikku nodded and darted in, grabbing a small flask straight from his hand, while Tidus threw a punch that sent the soldier reeling, falling to the ground.

"What in Yevon's name are those Guado thinking!?" Wakka exclaimed, running with the rest of the group into the next room.

"This is terrible!" Rikku agreed, looking up as a man's voice echoed through the room. I recognized the same bald Al Bhed that we had met when Keyakku had died. After he had finished speaking, Rikku began to run, saying, "We have to get underground!"

"Where's Yuna?" Auron asked, and she called over her shoulder, "The Summoner's Sanctum! This way!" The Al Bhed stopped and screamed as a huge fiend raced around the corner, almost knocking into her with saliva dripping from its jaw and a wild look in its eyes. Tidus ran forward and pushed her out of the way, only just barely managing to deflect the beast's attack as he swung blindly with his sword. Auron was close behind, cleaving through the creature's thick skin with a grunt, and as pyreflies and blood flowed from the wound, Lulu closed her eyes and swiped viciously through the air with her arms, sending a torrent of fire engulfing the fiend and forcing it down, exploding into shimmering bits of matter. "Keep going," Auron said, walking forward and stepping over the rapidly dissolving carcass. The rest of us followed, and Auron motioned for Rikku to take the lead. She nodded, bounding forward and calling, "Over here!"

She ran into a room, beginning down a flight of stairs only to look up and slow as she saw the ragged, gaping hole in the ceiling, a result of the fighting and still glowing white-hot around the edges. Wakka was close behind, and stopped and shook his head. "This place done for."

"You're right." The Al Bhed's voice was small and trembling. "You're right, Wakka." She stopped, sighing. "We Al Bhed, we…we weren't always like this. Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live, and after that, we were scattered to every corner of Spira. But then…" she stopped, looking up at the hole again. "But then my dad brought us all together again. If we put our minds to it and worked together, then we could make a new home. Everyone worked hard, we had our Home back again…" Rikku faltered, turning and burying her face into Wakka's chest and sobbing, "But now…why did things have to turn out this way?"

"Rikku…" Wakka began, obviously at a loss for words. He shook his head, patting the Al Bhed's shoulder somewhat awkwardly, and then she pulled away and turned around, wiping her eyes and smiling sadly up at him. The blitzer began to smile back, but whipped around as two fiends identical to the one we just fought burst into the room. I watched for a moment as Rikku screamed, and Wakka seemed to automatically stand in front of her, and I almost smiled: perhaps there was a friendship between them after all.

Then I was spinning to meet the demon in front of me, driving my fist into one of its eyes and stepping back as it shrieked and roared in pain, letting Lulu finish it off as I turned to help Tidus with the other. Auron jumped in as well, and soon both of them had collapsed in a gush of pyreflies. Rikku ran off without a word and stopped at the steps just before the Summoner's Sanctum, turning as I asked, "Hey, Rikku? What is the Summoner's Sanctum, exactly?"

"The Summoners' Sanctum is where we keep the summoners. We…keep them safe there," the Al Bhed girl answered, somewhat uneasily. She grimaced as Wakka muttered, "You kidnapped them."

"I know it's against the teachings and all that…" Rikku said with a shrug. "But--"

"I get why you did it and all that…" Wakka interrupted. "I just…" he trailed off, and Tidus threw his hands up.

"Well, I sure don't get it," he said in exasperation. "The pilgrimage is dangerous, so you keep them from it? To keep them out of danger? So who'll defeat Sin? I mean, I get why you did it, too: to protect the summoners, but that's a _guardian's _job, right? And if the guardians do a good job, no one gets hurt, right?" He was met with silence, and for the first time I saw a flicker of confusion in Tidus' otherwise steady, easygoing gaze. "Right?!" his voice rose, and again there was silence, pressing down and smothering us all so that we wouldn't have been able to talk if we wanted to give Tidus his cruel answer.

"It's quiet." Only Kimahri's low growl broke the atmosphere that was threatening to choke me. "Kimahri goes now."

x.X.x

**Nice and long-ish, for people who like those. **

**By the way, I THINK I have another active reader! If you review for this chapter, and SAY that you're active and that you've been keeping up with the story (thanks so much if you have, by the way. It means a lot to me), then just say the word and you get mentioned in the next chapter with a big arrow saying "HEY! LOOKIT THESE AWESOME PEOPLE!!!" (a metaphorical arrow, of course ^^)**

**This goes for everyone ;)**

**Also, I love constructive criticism, as I've said in the past. I'm not saying not to tell me that the story is good if it is, but tell me any big things that I've forgotten or something. Things you really liked, things you didn't like, etc. **

**Spasiba! ("thank you" in Russian. Pronounced Spas-EE-bah)**


	13. On the Airship

**Hey everyone! So far, the three active readers that I'm SURE of are buddyzmama, Auron's Moira, and BrokenAngel1753. Give 'em a round of applause! Oh, and Ketsuko Kyo, you aren't forgotten, and you may have not had time to review or anything, so....**

**Anyway, I think I've knocked out my writer's block for a little bit, so...yeah. (XD Who here has seen the movie Office Space? I believe that's what it's called. So...yeah ^^ I loved that)**

**Tell me if I'm keeping to the in-game storyline too much, or if it's getting boring, etc. Thanks everyone! It means a lot ;)**

**Don't own FFX, do own Aey.**

x.X.x

He walked slowly down the steps into the Summoner's Sanctum, and we followed. I exchanged a glance with Lulu as Tidus and Rikku stayed behind, but a moment later they joined us in a room.

"Yunie! Please be here!" she called.

"Yuna!" Kimahri's low, rasping growl, followed closely by a serene, confident voice that I knew well.

"She's not here." Dona stood just to the side, her voice hard and cold. "Hello, again. Wait there until we have performed the sending." Her ochre eyes softened, and she turned away and nodded at Isaaru, still waiting. He shook his head, saying, "They died…protecting us." The summoner gestured to the bodies all around us. "It's not much, but the least we can do is give them a proper sending." Dona nodded, just as Pacce, Isaaru's younger brother, ran up to Tidus.

"Hey, what's 'sacrificed?'" he asked. "The Al Bhed said summoners were being sacrificed. That summoners shouldn't _have _to do a pilgrimage…"

"Why couldn't they trust guardians to protect summoners…" Tidus muttered. "The Al Bhed had no right stopping their pilgrimage!"

"The pilgrimages _have _to stop!" Rikku protested. "If they don't, summoners will reach Zanarkand and get the final aeon. They might defeat Sin, but then…Yunie might…" she stopped and looked up at Tidus, green eyes full of anguish. "Yunie will die, you know?!"

Tidus stared at her dumbly for a moment, and Rikku barreled on. "Yuna told you, didn't she? With the Final Aeon, she can beat Sin…but then…" She stopped, shaking her head and wailing, "If she calls it, then the Final Aeon's gonna kill her! Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know?" Rikku fell to her knees, head bowed, and Tidus knelt with her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Why were you hiding it?!" he demanded, shaking her slightly. "Tell me why! Why didn't I know?!"

"We weren't hiding it…" Wakka said quietly.

"It was just…too hard to say," Lulu finished, looking down.

"How could you?!" Tidus asked, his voice still rising. "Isn't she like a sister to you? I thought you were family!" I could feel my anger rising as Lulu bowed her head, and as Tidus turned to Wakka I stepped forward and put my arm around her shoulders. She glanced up and smiled sadly at me, and then looked up at the blonde blitzer.

"Don't you think we tried to stop her?" Lulu asked, her voice breaking. "She follows…her heart."

"Yuna, she knew what she was doing when she chose to become a summoner. To face Sin, ya? Yuna knew!" Wakka put in, and Tidus closed his eyes as Rikku interrupted.

"But, Wakka, that's just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves…just so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?" she asked, and Isaaru stepped forward, finished with the sending.

"But that is our choice," he said calmly.

"We all live in fear of Sin." Dona spoke up, her voice still shaking slightly. "You know that."

"A world without Sin…" Isaaru murmured. "That is the dream of all Yevon's children. And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!" He spun and summoned Valefor in a swift slice of his staff, and out of the ground rose Ifrit as well, Dona's aeon. But still, as they spoke, another voice kept going.

"And I've been telling Yuna, 'Let's go to Zanaraknd together!' I told her all the things...we could…we could…" Tidus stopped, covering his face with his hands and sobbing, his words muffled, "But Yuna, she'd…just smile." He looked up, his tearstained face finding Valefor's, and the dragon-like aeon spread its wings in a comforting shadow over Tidus, his head still bowed in sorrow.

"I can't let her die!" he yelled suddenly, looking up and speaking to the aeon. "I'll find her!" I looked at him, at the fire burning in his normally easygoing face and the love in his guileless eyes, and I almost smiled sadly to myself: Yuna was a lucky one indeed. The unformed smile faded as I wondered if we would find her again, and my eyes wandered unbidden to the guardian at my left, standing to the side and using the shadows as a cover of sorts. His head turned slightly, as if he could feel me watching him, and I quickly switched my gaze back to Tidus.

"We need to go, ya?" Wakka's voice was unusually soft as he stepped forward and put a hand on Tidus' shoulder. He nodded, turning without another word and walking back up the staircase, letting Rikku take the lead again. We followed her up a flight of stairs, and found ourselves in a new room, one that looked very unlike the Home that had been being destroyed just now. Glossy white and blue walls and an unsettling number of machina dominated the room, along with a hovering sphere floating serenely in the center. A man's voice came over the intercom, the same one that Rikku had introduced as Cid, her father and leader of the Al Bhed.

"Hu desa! Ku, ku, ku!" Shortly after, the Al Bhed himself ran into the room, and another man that looked suspiciously like Rikku in terms of facial features yelled, "Three minute mavd!" At that moment, Tidus burst through the automatic doors exclaiming, "Where's Yuna?!"

"Everyone on board?" Cid asked, ignoring him. "Everyone alive?"

"I said, where is she?" Tidus yelled, taking the Al Bhed's shoulders and spinning him around, keeping a hold on his outer clothing and shaking the much larger man a little. "Answer me! Answer me, damn you!" The room quieted, and finally Cid's voice broke the silence.

"What'll you do when you find her, huh?" he asked roughly. Tidus didn't answer for a moment.

""I didn't know anything about what a summoner is supposed to do. And I told her all those things without even knowing," he said, clearly not caring whether he made any sense to the man. "I've got to tell her. I've got to tell her I'm sorry!"

"That's it? You're gonna tell her you're sorry?" Cid was clearly mocking him a bit, but Tidus didn't seem to hear. "And then you just drag her to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin! You're all the same--let the summoner die so we can live in peace!" Tidus recoiled as the Al Bhed jerked back, out of the blitzer's chokehold on him.

"No!" he yelled. "I'm not gonna let Yuna die!"

"Hah! Words! Show me action!"

"I'm telling you, she won't die!"

Cid quieted, staring hard at Tidus. ""Boy, don't forget those words, 'cause if you do…I'm gonna make you regret it."

"I won't," he promised, nodding. Cid jerked his head, then turned to the large, silvery sphere behind him. "So…you know where she is?"

"Of course not!" the Al Bhed answered, his voice almost jovial. "That's why we're gonna look"--he gestured around him--"using this airship!"

"A-airship?!" Wakka asked incredulously, and Cid laughed.

"Vydran! Nayto du ku!" came a voice from the front of the ship, and Cid slapped his knee with the excitement of a young boy.

"Oaaryy! Y vmekrd 1000 years ujantia!" he exclaimed, and the shift began to lift and fly away from Home. The young man in the cockpit and Cid exchanged a little Al Bhed, each of their voices changing to a somber tone after a moment, and then both men began singing the Hymn of the Fayth, growing louder as the rumbling from the ship did as well. The other Al Bhed aboard joined in, and then dozens of missiles suddenly sped from the side of the airship, heading straight for Home.

"What's going on?!" Wakka asked, and Rikku sighed, saying, "We're going to blow up our Home." The missiles collided with Home just then, and there was a blast that reverberated in my eardrums and drowned out any other sound, even as I clapped my hands over my ears. The airship sped up, being chased by a shockwave that was rapidly gaining, but we put on a burst of speed and cleared it, sending Tidus sprawling on the ground and almost making me follow. The myth that blitzball players had perfect balance? Utterly false. Why would we? We spent most of our time in the water, where there was no _need _for balance.

The others exchanged a little more Al Bhed, and Cid briefly put his hand on Rikku's brother's shoulder, then turned away and walked back over to the sphere in the center of the room. Tidus walked up to him after a moment, asking, "Find anything about Yuna?"

"Lookin' into it," Cid muttered, brow creased in concentration. Tidus sighed. "Don't worry, I'm usin' a sphere-oscillo finder. If she's out there, we'll get her."

"A sphere-oscillo finder?" Tidus echoed.

"It's an ancient machina. I don't know how it works either, so don't ask me, okay?" Cid answered, and Lulu's eyebrows went up.

"Yet you still use it?"

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed, and Cid laughed.

""I don't even rightly know how this rig flies, either!" he said jovially. "All because of the Yevon taboo on machina, we're running around in the dark here! Ain't it a rush, kiddos?" He was met by silence, but remained unfazed. "Oh, by the way," he looked at me. "Aey, aren't you?"

"That's me," I answered, nodding.

"Well, your brother gave one of my pilots here a message to pass on to you. Brother saw him at a blitzball game, and he asked if we knew a gal named Aey. Said he thought that his sister was traveling with her, so…Graav, I think, gave him a letter for you. As luck would have it, here ya are." I nodded, slightly confused. Graav had never been one for letters: he thought it was tedious and slow.

"How long ago?" I asked, and Cid shrugged.

"I'd say two or three months, give or take a week," he answered easily, turning to pick up a simple-looking piece of parchment in an envelope on the surface behind him and handing it to me. I nodded my thanks, ripping it open and leaning against the wall to read.

_Aey,_

_Bet you never expected me to get all mushy and sentimental, huh? Writing letters and all that. I never expected that either, but here I am, _missing _you. I suppose it's 'cause you're a guardian now, and I guess I never really realized what that was all about. I never thought that it was that dangerous, you just cut down a couple of fiends and you're in Zanarkand. But you wouldn't _believe _the news that's been flying about Lady Yuna and her guardians. What in Spira have you been up to? Killing a Maester? Traitors to Yevon? I know you, Aey, much as I sometimes wish I don't, and that's not you._

_Anyway, segueing from that, how are you? What's been happening? Hopefully, you're okay enough to read this, and to reply, because if you don't you're going to have a lot of explaining to do when you get back. The guys are all bugging me about putting in their words to this letter, so here we go:_

_Bickson says hi, and wants to know what's gotten into your already-undersized mind (he's joking, in case you don't know. I think you know Bickson well enough, though)_

_Abus says he misses you (not in so many words, but you know Abus, too)_

_Doram was very vocal, so here's a summary: she misses you, wants to know when you're coming back, how you've been, if you're dead, if you're not dead, if you've been injured, what it was like riding a shoopuf, who you "like," (you know the implications of the word, I presume), if you've been messing with machina again, if you've gotten better at fighting, what it's like to fight, and all the guardians and their temperaments, along with your relationship with each. Don't ask me: that's just what she said. _

_Balgerda wants to thank you for supporting her through everything (which I'm curious about), and helping her become the player she is._

_Finally, Raudy says hi, and you better come back prettier. You have my permission to give him a 'friendly' beating, though I doubt you need it anyway._

_Anyway, now that all of that is out of the way, the purpose for this letter. Where to start…well…_

_So I became kind of a cross between Warrior Monk and Crusader awhile ago, since you know that the Crusaders sort of died out in Operation Mi'ihen. I've been sort of traveling around, because I decided to follow your lead and quit blitz--at least for the time-being. I will go back, but I want to do something else with my life other than blitzball. I suppose I'm kind of a Warrior Monk now._

_Anyway, it looks like I'm running out of space. So before I seal this envelope and try and find someone to give it to, I'll say this (and you probably won't hear this again):_

_You better come back safe and sound, without a scratch, or I _will _kill you. Love ya, sis._

_Graav _

I folded up the paper with a smile, tucking it carefully into my bag, and Cid raised an eyebrow at my expression.

"My brother is not the most…open and sentimental person I know," I explained, laughing a little. "He changed. And he's now 'a cross between a Warrior Monk and a Crusader,' in his words." Cid nodded, and I sighed and sat down in a rolling chair that was in front of a desk with too many panels and buttons to count on it, looking up at Auron just in time to see him look away. I raised my eyebrows and waited for his gaze to return to my face, and then asked, "What is it?"

"So you can talk to me normally now?" the guardian asked, but it had no trace of sarcasm (at least, no more than usual): he was just his normal, cynical self. I shrugged.

"I guess."

"You say Graav became a Warrior Monk?"

"Mm-hmm."

"So he is fighting for the Maesters of Yevon."

"Well…yes, I suppose."

"You realize that that means he is also fighting against us, against you?"

I shook my head. "Not Graav. He may be told to, but he wouldn't _do _that." Auron sighed, shaking his head, and answered, "That's what I told myself about Kinoc. He fights with Seymour now."

"Maester Kinoc wasn't your brother," I said defensively, and Auron didn't answer, instead dipping his head in acceptance and turning away. I looked at him for a moment, and then shrugged and spun absently in my chair, getting up after a moment, and walking toward Lulu, who nodded at me.

"Still having trouble?" she asked in a low voice, looking pointedly at Auron, and I smiled.

"Kind of. I'm not angry anymore."

"Good."

"Hey, what you ladies whispering about over there, ya?" Wakka interjected, and Lulu rolled her eyes teasingly before turning to the blitzer and shrugging.

"Girl things," she said vaguely, and he shut his mouth, nodding uncomfortably. I laughed, and Rikku bounded over happily.

"What's so funny?" she asked, and I pointed at Wakka, who looked a little pink in the face. The Al Bhed chuckled.

"You're blushing," she told him, pointing, and he made a couple of incoherent noises and turned away, fiddling with his blitzball gloves. Lulu smiled with an endearing look in her eyes, and turned at the conversation that had just risen in volume behind us between Auron and Cid.

"After rescuing Yuna, then what?" he asked the Al Bhed. "You want to keep her safe, correct? Would you seek to stop her pilgrimage?"

"Of course!" Cid answered indignantly. "If she continues this fool pilgrimage, she will die! Sure as if you killed her yourself." He stopped, shaking his head. "No hare-brained law or teaching can send my little niece to her death!" he declared. "When I save her, I'll make her give up being a summoner quicker than a desert melts ice!"

"Even against her will?" Auron inquired with a cold voice.

"Better than a dog's death! And I'll take down anyone who don't agree!" The two men stared at each other for a moment, and finally Auron shook his head with a "hmph."

"You are the captain."

"Good! Then it's settled!" Cid said, and the guardian turned on his heel and walked out onto the bridge. A moment later, Tidus burst in, just as Brother exclaimed, "Vydran! Fa vuiht Yuna!" I knew enough Al Bhed for that one. They found her.

"Frana?!" Cid exclaimed, the argument between him and Auron forgotten. The two babbled in incoherent Al Bhed for a moment, and then a screen appeared depicting Yuna, standing right next to Seymour and trying to pull away from him. Instead of her usual kimono-like attire, she now wore a wedding dress. There were guards on either side of them, and Seymour was smirking.

"Where was that?!" Tidus asked, stepping forward as the scene faded away.

"The Palace of St. Bevelle," Lulu explained.

"Heart of Yevon," I finished, and the blonde blitzer clearly still had no idea. He still turned to Cid and said forcefully, "Gramps, let's move!"

"Easy, kiddo," Cid said with a slight chuckle. "Bevelle's defenses are top-notch."

"What's the matter, gramps? You scared?" Tidus asked. "Yuna's there, so we go and get her! And that's all!"

"You got guts," the Al Bhed said with a shake of his head. "Alright. Cad luinca du Bevelle! Vimm cbaat yrayt!" Brother nodded, pushing forward, and when the ship jolted, Tidus found himself again on the floor. I grabbed onto Lulu's shoulder to steady myself and helped him up, staring out the window at the blur racing past outside.

"It'll take awhile to get to Bevelle," Cid said over the roar of the engine. "Meanwhile…we prepare for battle!"

"What's Seymour doing alive?" Rikku asked no one in particular. "Didn't we take care of him in Macalania?"

"He is dead. As dead as Jyscal was," Auron answered. "His attachment to this world kept him from the next."

"Whoa, scary!" Rikku exclaimed. Just as she said it, the ship rocked and shook, forcing me to again take Lulu's arm for balance, and sending Tidus sprawling for the third time. Rin walked in calmly, bowed, and said easily, "We are being attacked from within. Some of the Guado that attacked Home must have snuck on board."

"You're awfully calm about it!" Cid snarled, grabbing the back of a seat to steady himself as the ship jerked again.

"I am calm about most things," Rin answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Fiends!" Cid muttered. "There's nothin' to do but--" He was stopped by his daughter jumping in front of him and mimicking his voice in a deep country accent: "But destroy the ship an' all go down together!"

"Huh?!" Cid asked, his brow creasing, and Rikku sighed.

"You gotta learn some restraint, pops," she said easily, clapping him on the shoulder. "If you crash the ship, we can't go rescue Yunie! Leave the fiends to us professionals!" At this, she struck a pose with her hands on her hips, and Cid nodded in confusion.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Tidus exclaimed, coming to her side.

"Thanks!" Rikku said, nodding at him. Rin bowed again, saying, "Rikku, you've made some very good friends, I think. Good luck." He turned and disappeared, and Rikku and Tidus both cheered and raced out into the main cabin of the ship.

x.X.x

**Tada! My favorite number, chapter _13_! **

**You know the drill: is Auron in character, is Aey a Sue, and am I keeping too much to the storyline?**

**Little bit of an abrupt ending, so sorry about that, but I'm hoping to get a new chapter up soon. Thanks again!**

**Kamsahamnida! (may not be the right spelling, but it's thank you in Korean. Pronounced "kamsamnida." Not sure where the emphasis is)**


	14. The Tower of Light

**[EDIT] OH SHIZ! **

**So a very good reviewer just pointed out that I was...rather tired when I was writing. So YUNA is not ON the AIRSHIP. I know she's in Bevelle, so I'll probably edit that a bit. Teehee....REALLY sorry about that, folks. I'll edit some other minor things as well, but sometimes it just...doesn't show up on . I don't know why, but it just doesn't want to work...**

**Yola! A HUGE thanks to ****Ketsuko Kyo****, for being such a helpful reviewer, and--as always--thanks to buddyzmama, Auron's Moira, BrokenAngel1753, and Elianna1031. It really means a lot to me ;) Keep the reviews coming! (tell me if I forgot someone)  
**

**Umm...disclaimer-time?**

**I don't own FFX. I own Aey. So THERE. Waffles, Pancakes, and French Toast.**

x.X.x

We followed, for once keeping up with the two teenagers, and fighting all the way emerged in the top cabin. There were no fiends here, but a huge, dragon-like creature hovered outside the window, keeping perfect pace with the ship and moving in a serpentine motion through the air.

"Huh. Now there's a rare sight," Auron said quietly, walking to the window.

"Whoa! That's huge!" Tidus exclaimed, just as Rikku asked, "What is it?"

"The guardian wyrm, Evrae. The great sacred beast--protector of Bevelle," Lulu answered, the slightest undercurrent of apprehension in her voice.

"The red carpet has teeth," Auron muttered, and I glanced sideways at him, eyebrows raised in a, _"Translate from Auron-speech, please," _look. He shrugged, shaking his head, as Tidus interjected, "Wait, that means we're close to Bevelle!" Suddenly, Cid's voice rang out over the intercom.

"Rikku, you read me?" he asked, and his daughter looked up. "We're going to fight that thing! Get on deck and show him what you got!" Rikku sighed as Cid yelled, "Go!"

"There he goes again," she sighed, blowing her lips out in a raspberry.

"The ferryman asks a high price." Auron began to walk over to the sliding platform that rose to the top of the ship, handing over some Gil to Rin and buying a couple of potions before continuing up. I stocked up as well, and followed him. As soon as we were all up, standing precariously on the hull of the airship, Cid's voice boomed around us as the sides of the airship opened to reveal missiles ready to fire.

"We gotta keep our distance, boys, but we can't let her get too far away. You all have to tell me when to move!" he exclaimed. "But tell me quick, eh? This rig ain't so nimble, you hear?" Tidus grinned.

"Roger!" he yelled. "I'll give the commands!"

"Not alone, you won't!" Rikku answered with a laugh, punching the air. The blitzer nodded, and spun to face Evrae as the flying serpent sucked in a great lungful of air, staring at us calmly with glowing scarlet eyes, bobbing in the air with unnerving confidence.

"Pull back!" Tidus yelled, and Cid's voice came in a quick, "Alright!"

"While we can, attack in turns. When this ship moves, only Lulu and Wakka will be able to do any type of damage," Auron said, his voice louder than normal over the roaring wind. The party members nodded, and Tidus darted in first, followed by Rikku, each slicing and punching viciously before dancing out of the way of Evrae's flailing talons.

"Lu, Aey!" Tidus yelled, and we nodded. I ran forward and ripped parallel gashes in the beast's soft, exposed underbelly with my gloves as Lulu poured crackling lightning into the wound, provoking a screech from the dragon and forcing me to duck and roll out of the way as it slashed madly downward.

"You alright?" Tidus called, and I nodded and popped back up into a standing position next to the mage.

The ship rocked for a moment, slowly moving back, just as Evrae let its breath out with gushing poison. From experience, I knew not to breathe, but even through that the venom seeped into my lungs: such was the way of fiends. I heard the soft clinking of potion flasks knocking together as Rikku tossed each person an Al Bhed potion, and we were ready once more for battle.

"Lulu," Auron said, his deep voice carrying easily, and she nodded as Tidus cast supportive magic on the party, which I felt as my heart beat faster and my senses became sharper. The Hastega spell was more of a high than anything else: one that made you jumpy and tense, but it worked. Wakka threw his blitzball periodically, and I absently felt in my bag for the curved dagger Auron had given me. Maybe I could throw it again as well, but I was sure the last time was just luck. The blade was balanced poorly for throwing anyway. Lulu took the time now to cast even more spells on us, tightening our muscles and minds alike to put up more of a wall against magic and sharpening our senses even more. "Take this." Auron's voice from beside me jerked me from my reverie, and he passed me a straight, flat-bladed knife with less weight in the hilt than normal daggers. "A throwing knife," he explained, and I turned it over in my hands and nodded.

"Hey, Lu?" I called as she took a moment to rest, and she turned, dipping her head as I held up the knife in a silent question. I hurled it toward Evrae, pleased to see that it was staying on-track and not spinning out like the first one had, and sunk deep into the serpent's flesh. It shrieked, screeching louder as Lulu's magic ripped the blade out and floated it back to my hands, and again I threw it, over and over again.

"You seem to have gotten better," Auron commented absently, his eyes darting around from his defensive stance, prepared to take the attack for anyone unfortunate enough to fall victim to Evrae's claws. "Been practicing?"

"Not much," I admitted. "But this knife is a lot better for throwing."

"That _is _what it was made for," Auron clarified with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes as Rikku yelled, "Go back in!" to Cid.

"Got it!" his voice boomed, and Tidus cast one more round of Haste.

"You better not speed us up any more, or I'm going to have a heart attack," I warned, and he grinned.

"Isn't it great?" the blitzer asked, and I laughed.

"You have a twisted sense of humor."

"I know." The airship pitched forward, and I took a step forward to steady myself, using that momentum to run forward and tear four new gashes in Evrae's flank, crossing them with a blow from the other fist as Lulu's fire licked around the edges. The beast roared, and again I dropped onto the hull to avoid its talons, moving back toward the others with the familiar high of Hastega.

Now, Auron ran forward, his katana cleaving through one of the creature's limbs like a knife through butter. Evrae screeched in agony, lunging down, and its teeth snapped closed a hairsbreadth away from where Auron's shoulder had just been.

"Next time its head comes down," he murmured to me as he resumed his position and let Tidus and Rikku attack a couple of times, paired with Lulu. "Go for the eyes." I nodded.

"Got it."

We were wearing Evrae down, that was clear, but Bevelle's protector knew what it was doing. Fishtailing up and flying into the air, the demon came back down in a hook and knocked into everyone standing at the front of the battle, scraping its claws along the airship with a grinding, screeching sound that made it lurch sideways. Stumbling from Evrae's last attack, I fell, sliding rapidly down the airship's slick surface, and would have fallen over the edge and plummeted to the ground had Auron's fingers not immediately curled around my wrist and pulled me back up, only just managing to keep his balance as he did. If I hadn't been sucked into the heat of battle, I might have noticed that his hand lingered on mine a moment too long.

"Aey! Your turn!" Rikku called cheerfully, as if we were playing a board game and it was my time to go. I nodded, running forward again, sinking the metal spikes on the knuckles of my gloves as deep as they would go and yanking downward, shredding the scales and making my arm tremble as I jerked away. Lulu's magic, as always, poured in after the newly opened gashes.

Evrae's head lunged down again, teeth bigger than my forearm, and I remembered Auron's words: _"Go for the eyes." _And that's exactly what I did. Ducking, but trying to maintain my balance at the same time, I darted around Evrae's snapping jaws and punched blindly up, surprised to find that my punch hit home. Sickening squishing sounds, along with a screech of pain, told my that I had found my mark.

The creature's gaping maw was still open, the white teeth still glistening, and it was these that caught my arm as I pulled away. I yanked my hand down as a reflex reaction, keeping the gash shallow as Evrae's teeth split my skin and sent crimson blood running in rivulets down my arm, but it didn't keep my arm from the shoulder-down from burning. I ducked again and spun out of the way, running back to where I had been before and quickly downing a potion from my bag, sealing the blood and keeping it from dripping down my fingers.

"Good job," Auron said stonily, glancing sideways at my arm. I nodded, gritting my teeth: I didn't have an exceptionally high pain-tolerance to begin with, but years of blitzball had built it up for me. The now-blinded Evrae thrashed and screamed, giving the most experienced guardian in the group time to navigate the flailing claws and run in, plunging his katana deep into the creature's torso. Auron barely avoided the dragon's talons as he ran back and watched calmly as the creature gave a last screech and fell, bursting into pyreflies that swarmed around us.

The ship pitched to the side, and I stumbled once as Brother's voice came over the intercom.

"Cruud! Fa'na mucehk bufan!" he cursed.

"The ship's losing power," Auron translated, but--as always--it might have been more to himself than to me. I nodded anyway.

"Rao!" Cid called. "E caa Bevelle!"

"And he has caught sight of Bevelle. I wouldn't be surprised." Auron took a step to regain his equilibrium as the ship lurched to the side again, descending through the clouds and swinging in a wide curve around Spira's largest city. I dropped to the deck and clung to it for dear life as I began to slide again, briefly contemplating grabbing Auron's ankle for support--not that I really would.

A volley of gunshots hit the ship and ricocheted with unnerving _ping _sounds as they bounced off the hull inches from my fingers. It was a wonder Auron wasn't getting shot down, standing calmly, invincibly, on the ship. Maester Kinoc's voice could be heard now: we were getting close. The ship shuddered as harpoons were ejected from its side, speeding toward Bevelle and plunging into the ground, yanking the airship to a stop.

"Jump!" Cid yelled, and Auron pulled me up and leapt with surprising balance onto the cables, sliding down with me close behind. Blitzers had no balance, I thought with a grumble, swaying and leaping off the cables and onto Bevelle's solid ground. The rest of the party was behind me, and as Tidus leapt off, he looked at Seymour and the teenage girl beside him and yelled, "Yuna!" She looked up, her eyes lighting up as she saw her guardians, but quickly dimming as she took in the crowd of soldiers separating us from her.

Auron was the first to run forward, cleaving through the monk in front of us before he had time to react and severing the machina's head from its body in the same movement. He, obviously, had no trouble killing these people. Lulu sliced her hands through the air, making a wave of water crash down on the other machina, and we moved forward.

The battles were short and gruesome, and I would have fought through them without a second thought had I not seen a face that I knew well. I stopped in my tracks, and as the others finished off the machina I could feel my heart breaking.

"No…" I whispered, almost taking a step forward as I recognized the tousled brown hair and confident green eyes. They widened as he recognized me. "What are you doing _here_?!"

My brother said nothing, and I tore my eyes away from him as Auron said, "We have to move." I did the only thing I could, shoving past Graav, refusing to fight him and refusing to back away.

"Keep them away!" Maester Kinoc's voice rose above the others, and another wave of soldiers ran forward to block us. Auron cut through them as easily as if he were hacking a path through the forest, and all we knew were pyreflies until the same voice rang out. "This has gone far enough!" The curtain of shimmering, iridescent bits of matter parted and faded away to reveal dozens of monks, each with their guns trained on us, and in the middle stood Seymour, Kinoc, and Yuna.

The summoner, in a slow and deliberate movement, held her staff out before Seymour, staring steadily at him. He smirked.

"You would play at marriage, just for a chance to send me?" the Maester asked innocently. "Your resolve is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife." Even as he spoke, the staff twirled in Yuna's hands, causing a few pyreflies to detach from Seymour and float into the clouds.

"Stop!" Kinoc's voice interrupted. "Do you not value your friends' lives? Your actions determine their fate." Yuna faltered, and I felt Auron stiffen minutely beside me as the Maester kept speaking, knowing that he had hit a nerve. "Protect them…or throw them away. The choice is yours." Yuna had fully stopped moving now, and glanced back, her gaze falling on Tidus, the hollow barrel of Kinoc's gun pointed at the blitzer's face. Her staff dropped, falling down the stairs.

"You are wise," Seymour murmured, taking her shoulders and pulling her to him, roughly locking his lips to hers. Tidus glared at Seymour, and the phrase, "if looks could kill," flashed into my thoughts. _If _looks could kill, both Graav and Seymour would be long dead. Then again, so would I.

As Seymour pulled away, I noticed Yuna's hand curled into a fist, but that was lost in the doleful toll of the wedding bells and the scattered, halfhearted clapping. Calmly, Seymour turned to us, eyes flashing, and said easily, "Kill them."

Kinoc nodded, turning back to us with his gun ready, and immediately faltered as he met Auron's gaze. The gun lowered for a moment, hesitating, and I felt a brief moment of satisfaction. If Kinoc had betrayed his friend, this was what he got. Dark brown eyes smoldered as they met hazel, and Kinoc looked as if he very much wanted to take a step back. There was no friendship in his gaze, only fear, just as there was no friendship in Auron's.

"I am sorry," he said finally, his voice much stronger than he looked. "But it is for Yevon."

"Aren't those weapons _forbidden _by Yevon?" Auron asked, with the direct tone of a child asking their teacher what they deemed a very important question. Kinoc seemed to have gotten his strength back, and he shoved the rifle in Auron's face, growling, "There are exceptions." Auron did nothing but stare at him, seemingly ignoring the gun, as if willing his old friend to come back. Kinoc didn't meet his eyes.

"No!" A familiar voice sounded from the top of the stairs, and I saw Yuna standing very close to the overhanging edge, inches away from a five-hundred-foot drop and slowly stepping backwards. "Let them go! Throw down your weapons, or else…" She took another step back, and Seymour raised his hand. Kinoc's gun lowered, as did the others.

"Leave!" Yuna called to her guardians, hovering at the foot of the stairs.

"You're coming with us!" Tidus yelled back, running up the steps.

"This is foolish," Seymour interrupted with an almost-confused tone. "If you fall, you'll die."

"Don't worry. I can fly," Yuna murmured. "Believe." Her last word was lost as she took the last step over the edge, and everyone raced to the ledge to see the summoner falling, falling into the city below. A familiar ringing sound filled the air, and then a blur swooped past us, plummeting down and flaring its wings to let Yuna land safely on the aeon's torso. Valefor.

"Cover your eyes!" someone suddenly screamed, and I instantly obeyed without thinking, running with one hand over my eyelids back down the stairs as the screeching sound of a flashbomb battered my eardrums. We met at the bottom of the stairs and kept running as Tidus kicked and thrashed against Kimahri, yelling, "Lemme go! I'm gonna kill that Seymour!" He hissed the Maester's name with more venom than I had ever heard in the cheerful foreigner's voice, and Lulu yelled over the clamor, "We'll meet up with her later!"

"Break through!" Auron called, fighting his way to Bevelle temple and bursting in, escaping the screaming outside. I slammed the double doors shut, leaning against them and catching my breath, rubbing my arm where Evrae's teeth had gashed it.

"Where'd Yunie go?" Rikku's small voice broke the silence.

"Bevelle Palace is temple. Yuna goes to one place only," Kimahri growled in answer, and Tidus finished his statement.

"The Chamber of the Fayth!" he exclaimed, and the Ronso dipped his head. Rikku nodded as well, and then turned to a small device humming pleasantly behind us.

"Huh?" she asked, fiddling with it a bit.

"What's a machina doing in the temple?!" Wakka asked, his eyes widening.

"I suppose it comes in handy," Rikku answered with a shrug, tapping it a couple of times.

"That's not what I mean! The teachings! What about the teachings?!" Wakka's voice was rising, and Rikku held her hands out in a gesture of peace.

"Hey, don't look at me!" she said, and the blitzer looked away and stepped onto the stairs, jumping back as it began to move with a, "What..?!"

"You can use it to get down!" Rikku said cheerfully, hopping onto the platform and keeping one finger on the machina. The rest of the party cautiously followed, and the Al Bhed took her hands off the screen. The staircase turned into a ramp, and the wind rushed past my ears as we made our way to the bottom.

Once there, Rikku worked another machina, and then we entered the trials. Instead of letting us figure it out on our own this time and laughing a little at all of our failures, Auron told us exactly what to do. We had no time to laugh and fool around now.

Finally, after a couple of hours of platform-riding and sphere-toting, we entered the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth.

"Yuna?" Tidus called tentatively, his voice bouncing off the stone and ricocheting around us.

"Inside, maybe?" Wakka suggested, and Tidus nodded.

"Then what are we standing around here waiting for?" he asked, striding forward and beginning to heave at the stone door leading to the Chamber.

"H-hey!" Wakka exclaimed, almost taking a step forward.

"You can stuff your taboos!" Tidus answered in a strained voice, still trying to lift the door. Kimahri walked forward to help him, and together they cleared an entrance into the next room. Tidus looked at Kimahri, nodded, and walked forward, glancing back at Auron. After a moment, the guardian followed, and they both disappeared into the Chamber of the Fayth.

After a couple of moments, the stone beneath us rumbled, and I jumped and looked up as Kinoc and a couple of other soldiers walked out of the shadows.

"There you are," he said, appraising us with pursed lips. His previous uncertainty had completely disappeared, perhaps because Auron was not in the room.

"Yeah?" Wakka challenged, and soon after Lulu asked calmly, "What of it?"

"I think we'll wait for your other friends to come," Kinoc answered with a hard, cold stare at her, which she returned. Just then, footsteps echoed in the next room, and Rikku yelled, too late, "Wait! Don't come out!"

Auron walked out first, his gaze immediately falling on the Maester and holding there, and Tidus followed, cradling Yuna in his arms. Kinoc gave a satisfied smirk.

"There's the last of them," he said, with all the authority of Grand Maester Mika. "You are to stand trial." His voice boomed around the small room, and Auron kept staring at him, a small, pitying smile curving his lips upwards.

"I expect it will be a fair trial," he answered, knowing as well as I did that it was going to be far from it. Kinoc barked a laugh.

"Of course it will." He nodded at the numerous guards around us, and they ran forward, in a half-circle around our back, guns shoving between each guardian's shoulder blades and pushing them roughly forward. I fought the urge to spin around and throw a punch to the guard behind me, outnumbered as we were. Going back through the Cloister of Trials and up into the light, now-quiet Bevelle, we walked lower into the city until reaching the underground area, where a whole cavern had been carved out: Via Purifico.

x.X.x

**Tada! A dash of romance-ish stuff, but I kind of thought this chapter was one of my weird, covered-in-fog chapters. Like, it just seems subdued and...weird. It might just be because I'm tired, though ^^**

**I found the relationship between Kinoc and Auron to be VERY interesting. Aside from the fact that I find everything ABOUT Auron interesting, their friendship was just...fascinating. Auron was always the stronger one, Kinoc always struck me as kind of weak and mild, and yet--when Auron *ahem* _left _the Warrior Monks--Kinoc got what WAS going to be Auron's position. Interesting.**

**Anyway, Via Purifico is going to be fun. To Ketsuko Kyo, it's going to be dark in Via Purifico... *evil laughter* Poor Aey...**

**IN any case, you know the drill. Sueness, OOC-ness, and romance--too much, too little, or just right?**

**(and if you want "thank you" in a specific language, just mention it if you review)**

**Kiitos! (Finnish ^^)**


	15. Via Purifico

**Heya! So the last chapter is allll fixed...teehee ^^**

**Sorry for that little mix-up.**

**ANYWAY, ****thanks to the usual people, you don't know what it means to me. Danke very mucho! (That would be my failed trilingual attempt at Spanish, German, and English)  
**

**Don't own FFX. Shame on you for thinking I did.**** I own Aey.**

x.X.x**  
**

We kept walking, making so many twists and turns that I couldn't have gotten out of here if there were bright yellow arrows pointing me down the right path. Finally, finally, the soldiers stopped, and I was given a last thrust from the gun behind me before they went to stand guard by the door. Yuna, now conscious, was pushed forward and onto a platform, which rose into the air and hovered over the swirling abyss of silver mist below. Maester Kelk Ronso stood on the platform, looking stiff and unforgiving.

"The High Court of Yevon is now in session," he growled, and Yuna looked up, not nervous but by no means confident. "The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but absolute truth, in Yevon's name. To those on trial: Believe in Yevon, and speak only the truth." Yuna's held her head higher, staring at the Maester with only a bit of uncertainty in her face, but the rest of her reminded me of how Auron had described Braska.

The Maester looked back at her, saying in his gravelly voice, "Summoner Yuna. You have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?"

"Yes." Yuna's voice wavered.

"Then, consider: You have inflicted dire injury upon Maester Seymour Guado, conspired with the Al Bhed and joined in their insurrection. These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence."

"Your Grace…" the summoner began, bowing slightly before straightening and saying firmly, "The real traitor is Maester Seymour! He killed…he killed his father Jyscal with his own hands!" Kelk turned to Seymour, clearly begging him to object.

"What is this?!" he asked, his deep voice not showing what was written plainly on his face.

"Hmm?" Seymour asked innocently, turning to him with raised eyebrows. "Hadn't you heard?"

"Not only that," Yuna continued, well aware that she had gotten Maester Kelk's attention. "But he is already dead!"

"It is the summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane!" Lulu interjected, stepping forward to defend her. "Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner!"

"Grand Maester Mika…" Yuna pleaded. "Please, send Seymour now!" Kelk stepped aside, and from behind him came the frail, old Maester.

"Send the unsent to where they belong?" he asked, echoing her words. Yuna nodded.

"Yes!" Mika laughed, as if seeing some inside joke that the summoner was blind to. "Maester…?" she asked tentatively.

"Send the dead?" Pyreflies rose into the air, and it took me a moment to figure out that they were coming from Mika as he continued in his withered voice, "You would have to send me, too."

"What?!" Wakka burst out, his eyes widening.

"Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader. Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira," Kinoc said, his voice ringing out around the room. "Enlightened rule by the dead is preferable to the misguided failures of the living."

"Life is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is eternal." Seymour's voice, now, smooth and controlled compared to Maester Kelk's grating tone.

"Men die. Beasts die. Trees die. Even continents perish. Only the power of death truly commands in Spira," Mika continued, shaking his head. "Resisting its power is futile."

"But what of Sin?" Yuna challenged. "I am a summoner, my lord, like my father before me! I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings." She stopped, looking up at the Grand Maester. "Are you…are you telling me that, too, is futile? Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin…their battles, their sacrifices--were they all in vain?" The last word was almost a sob, as Yuna fought to keep her voice under control.

"Not in vain," Mika answered, staring steadily at the summoner. "No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin cannot be truly defeated. The rebirth cannot be stopped." He paused, gesturing at her. "Yet the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a summoner."

"Never futile…but never ending," Auron murmured, but somehow Mika heard him, nodding pleasantly.

"Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon." He sounded like he was under the impression that Auron agreed with him, but I saw from the look in the guardian's eyes that he would have very much liked to cut down every Maester in the room.

"Lord Mika!" Yuna exclaimed, unbelieving of what she was hearing.

"Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, summoner," Mika told her, raising his hands as more pyreflies floated into the air.

"That can't be right!" Yuna said desperately, turning to Kelk with a plea in her face.

"Those who question these truths--they are traitors!" the Grand Maester thundered, and the summoner's eyes widened in an outraged expression.

"Lord Mika!" she exclaimed, and he looked at the guards behind us with a minute nod. They stepped forward, roughly shoving the guns between our shoulder blades and forcing us back, back toward Via Purifico: the road to purification.

I opened my eyes, my head foggy and my eyelids heavy. I looked up, getting shakily to my feet and gripping the bars surrounding me to steady myself. Lulu, leaning against the opposite side of the cage-like structure, glanced up.

"Awake?" she asked, and I nodded, blinking to clear my thoughts.

"Where are we?"

"Awaiting our sentence. I have a feeling it has something to do with Via Purifico," she answered, and I sighed, looking up just as Maester Seymour walked fluidly toward us and smiled, dipping his head as he said, "Your sentence has been decided. You may come out now." Lulu, without a word, pushed past the Maester with something just short of aggression, and I followed, pushing past him with much more vigor. He only gave an amused smirk and strode quietly behind, his footsteps making no sound on the stone floor as we walked toward Via Purifico.

Along the way, another guard met up with us and took Lulu roughly by the shoulders, shoving her away from Seymour and I. They disappeared into the murky darkness, heading for the deep underground maze that made up half of the prison. For a moment, Seymour kept walking, easily keeping pace with me. Then his voice broke the silence.

"Aey, aren't you?" he asked pleasantly, and I glared at him, saying nothing. "I thought so. I've heard much about you from your brother."

"What has he said?" I growled, kicking myself for taking the bait but unable to resist. Seymour shrugged, knowing he had my attention.

"He's said he was worried. He wondered why you were a guardian to a traitor."

"He didn't say that," I snapped immediately. Seymour's lips curved up in a half-smile.

"Oh, he did. Graav is very worried about you, you know."

"I got his letter," I argued. "He may be worried, but not what you're saying. I know my brother better than you do."

"Do you?" Seymour asked innocently. "Do you know him better than you know your fellow guardians?

"It depends," I muttered. Seymour chuckled in a pitying tone, turning to go.

"Good luck. I doubt I will see you again, Aey," he said easily, leaving me with four guards standing at each doorway and one behind me.

"Your turn," he hissed, pushing me forward with the barrel of his gun. I caught myself from falling into the water below, but another shove forced me forward, and I fell face-first into the waters of Via Purifico. The guard's laughing faded away as I opened my eyes underwater, swimming forward and rounding a bend, immediately catching sight of three people I knew well.

"Aey!" Tidus yelled, waving.

"You're safe!" Rikku said happily, holding her hands up for a high-five. I nodded and slapped both, smiling for a moment.

"Any idea how to get outta here?" Wakka asked, and I shrugged.

"Absolutely none. We swim?" They nodded, and we started paddling aimlessly forward, eventually getting to some sort of underwater network of pipes and tubes. Tidus led the way, but yelled in surprise and paddled furiously backward as the water rippled in front of him, revealing a dark, ugly version of Evrae, Bevelle's protector.

"It's…it's a zombie!" Rikku yelled. I looked closer, and saw that the once-magnificent beast's eyes were milky and dead, it's movements mechanical and jerky.

"Oh!" Wakka exclaimed. "I've heard about these things! Watch!" He took a potion out of his bag, and before I could stop him, he threw it at Evrae.

"No!" I yelled, but as the potion's flask exploded and the healing liquid spread over the dragon, it shrieked and writhed, some of its scales tearing off.

"It's…" Tidus began, and again Rikku finished for him, "A zombie! See? I told you!"

"Phoenix Down!" Wakka yelled, and I dug in my pack, coming up with a bottle of silvery, bubbling liquid. I hurled it at Evrae, just as Wakka sent an X-Potion spinning toward it, and the demon exploded into pyreflies. Tidus blinked.

"That was _awesome!_" he exclaimed suddenly, grinning. "We did it! And it didn't even take a minute!" I smiled.

"Mm-hmm. Now, where to?" I asked, and Wakka looked around. We were at a fork, the path dividing into four different sections.

"Split up?" he suggested, and Rikku gave a careless nod. I shrugged, thinking for a moment, and finally agreed.

"Okay, I'll take this way," the Al Bhed said.

"I'll go over here," Tidus answered, pointing to the path in front of him. I nodded, and Wakka swam to the fourth canal.

"Meet back here in an hour. Stay low, don't take on any fiends too big for you, and for Yevon's sake, don't die. Everyone got it?" the red-haired blitzer asked, and we all nodded, swimming into our separate tunnels. I paddled forward, leaving the others behind, and swam around fiends, stunning them briefly with a quick punch so that I could get past without having to really fight. The tunnel and the water got darker, and I swallowed. I had always hated the dark, always been afraid that something would sneak up on me and put a knife to my neck.

It didn't help that Graav, when we were younger, had done just that whenever I was in the dark hallway at our house. Minus the knife.

As I swam, my endurance built up over years of blitzball and surfacing for what little air there was every couple of minutes, it became clear that I had gone the wrong way. Fiends darted across my path periodically, and the tunnel only got darker. When the flipper of one of the lizard-like demons brushed the back of my neck, bubbles rose from my mouth in a scream that would have broken glass had I not been underwater.

I turned around, my last reserve of tolerance and courage spent. I had no more desire to swim in the dark alone with shadows passing over me, following me, knowing that I couldn't take them all on at once.

Unable to stop myself when another one passed over me, I spun and punched, tearing open gashes in the creature's throat and sending it sinking to the bottom as two more took its place. I didn't know if they were better swimmers than I was or not, but I definitely couldn't fight them all on my own, and fleeing was about the only option I had left.

Turning as quickly as I could and shooting off through the water, I swam furiously for the cavern where we had separated, knowing that I could at least get help. Within minutes I began to feel my muscles screaming, but I hadn't traveled as far as I had first thought as the tunnel got lighter by the second.

I felt a brief flash of satisfaction that gave me energy as a couple of the fiends following me peeled away, leaving only two or three left. Acting on a split-second decision (which usually didn't turn out well for me), I spun to face them and used that momentum to swim forward, killing the first one and spinning to meet the second as its talons raked down my side. I gritted my teeth and kicked savagely backward in the only one I knew, remembering blitzball. So it _did _give you fighting training after all, I thought with a grim smile.

The third and final fiend gave a screech and turned, swimming away. I was only too happy to see it go, and winced as I felt the three parallel, shallow gashes running along my ribs. It could have been worse.

I swam back toward the place where we had separated, digging a potion out of my back and downing it, feeling with relief the skin knit itself back together. The rips in my shirt were still there, but they could be hidden with my bag, or even my arm hanging down at my side.

"Aey!" Rikku's yell traveled through the water, and I looked up as she waved. There were a couple of scratches on the Al Bhed's arms and neck, but they were minor and shallow. She swam toward me, asking, "Did you find the right way?"

"No, I answered, shaking my head. "I take it you didn't, either?" Rikku smiled sadly.

"I hope Tidus and Wakka get back safe," she said uneasily, looking at the darkness of the other two tunnels. I nodded, and paddled forward as a familiar, yellow shape swam into view. Tidus waved, coming up to us, and asked, "Did either of you find it?"

"Nope," Rikku answered, shrugging and pointing to Wakka's tunnel. "I guess we go that way, then!" I nodded, and followed her, swimming alongside Tidus. He seemed to have fared better than Rikku and I, and I only hoped that Wakka was safe.

We soon came up on him, apparently on his way back, and he nodded and gestured, kicking out and shooting through the water toward a faint light glowing through the murky water. I heaved a sigh and swam after him, forcing my arms to move, and soon broke the surface with land around me. I pulled myself up, dripping water, and helped Rikku up as well, shuddering and glad to be out of the constricting depths of the Via Purifico.

We walked for less than ten minutes before catching sight of the others, and Rikku gave a small shriek and ran forward, hugging Yuna with her sopping wet clothes. The summoner laughed as the Al Bhed exclaimed, "Yunie! You're safe! We were so worried about you!" Yuna hugged Rikku back, saying, "Thank you."

I smiled slightly, walking around the edge of the group to meet Auron, standing near the back as always. He nodded at me, looking down at the faded pink scars on my arm, not fully healed yet, and the parallel rips in my shirt, finally back up at my face.

"How did…things go?" I asked, no quite sure how to word my question. Auron got the meaning, though, and answered emotionlessly, "It wasn't hard, finding our way out. If I had any say in it, I might not have put bright torches lining the corridor to the exit, but I won't complain." I chuckled.

"Design flaw?"

"Indeed." He looked down again at my arm, and I shrugged, shifting my bag to conceal the tears in my shirt.

"We got to a fork, and split up. I…kind of ended up having to fight my way out," I explained, and Auron nodded once.

"Did my little lesson back in Macalania help at all?"

"Actually, it did. Oh, and remember how you said that blitzball wasn't the most important, because it gave you know experience in actually fighting?" I asked, and the guardian dipped his head again, one eyebrow raised, clearly wondering where I was going. "Well, the blitz kicks and punches actually work against swimming fiends. I fended off three of them at once using those."

"Mm," Auron said, and I rolled my eyes.

"You know I proved you wrong. Admit it."

"But what if the enemy you are fighting is much bigger? Blitzball kicks aren't meant for true power, are they?"

"Well, no," I answered. "But--"

"So you did not, in fact, prove me wrong." A small smile tugged up the corners of Auron's mouth, and I sighed in sarcastic exasperation.

"I'll do it someday. I'll have an answer with no loopholes, and you'll know that I proved you wrong," I told him haughtily, folding my arms over my chest.

"Really? Work on that, because your current answer has many 'loopholes.' For example," Auron answered, taking my arm away from my chest and holding it to examine the scratches, "This. If blitzball kicks work so well, how do you explain your current injuries?" I smiled, not taking my arm away as I answered, "No pain, no game."

Auron raised an eyebrow, and I explained. "It's a saying we used to hear all the time. It means exactly what it sounds: a game isn't a game unless you have to work for it."

"I would think that fighting and escaping unscathed would be work enough," the guardian answered, and I shrugged.

"Depends, I suppose."

"Mm." Auron looked at me again, saying impassively, "You look drained."

"I am," I answered with a nonchalant shrug, wanting to curl up on the stone right now and fall asleep. "Swimming does that to you, I s'pose. It also starves you." I leaned back against the wall, watching with interest as Auron withdrew an X-Potion, one of the last.

"We'll get more later, as well as some food, when we can," he said, uncorking it and passing it to me. I nodded my thanks, having used up the last of mine, and drank it in one or two gulps, giving the flask back to Auron when he held his hand out for it.

"Thanks," I said, and he nodded, beginning to say something else. But the guardian's eyes flashed as he turned, hearing footsteps before I did.

Seymour, flanked by Kinoc and a couple of soldiers, appeared out of the darkness. Auron stepped forward as Seymour placed his hand on Kinoc's neck and gently squeezed before the Maester had time to react, and the leader of the Crusaders crumpled onto the floor, dead.

"Kinoc," Auron murmured, his grip tightening on the hilt of his katana.

"Why, you--!" Tidus began, but Seymour only smiled pleasantly and looked at Auron, speaking directly to the guardian.

"I have saved him," he said, and Auron's eyes flashed again. "He was a man who craved power. And great power he had, but he feared losing it. Trembling at unseen enemies, he spent his days scheming petty schemes. Chased by his fears, never knowing rest." Seymour stopped, and now turned to Yuna, still with the same sickly-sweet smile plastered on his face. "You see…now he has no worries. He has been granted sleep eternal. Death is a sweet slumber." Seymour sighed, stepping forward, and Auron moved to block him. But the Maester only stopped moving and continued in a peaceful voice, "All the pain of life is gently swept away…ah, yes." He opened his eyes, staring straight at Yuna. "So you see…if all life were to end in Spira, all suffering would end. Don't you understand? Do you not agree?

"That, Yuna, is why I need you. Come, Lady Yuna." Seymour held his unnaturally large hand out to her, and the summoner only stared. "Come with me to Zanarkand, the lost city of the dead. With death on our side, we will save Spira, and for this…I will take from you your strength, Yuna, your life, and become the next Sin." His eyes grew wild as Yuna stepped back and Auron moved forward, now standing fully in front of her, but Seymour saw nothing of what was happening, lost in another world as he hissed, "I will destroy Spira! I will save it!"

I stepped back at the Maester's wild rage, just as Tidus yelled, "You're totally nuts!" Seymour smiled, his eyes still strangely clouded and far away, and stared at Tidus, turning his gaze to each guardian in turn. It landed on me, and the longer it lingered, the tenser I got. Almost trembling and ready to bolt, I reached out for something to grab hold of, anything, and found my fingers wrapping around another hand. It stiffened for a moment, before loosening and gently squeezing back as I gripped the life out of his arm.

Finally, Kimahri ran forward, brandishing his spear, and plunged it into Seymour's chest. I squeezed harder as Seymour stared at him, nothing happening but a small smirk playing on the Maester's face.

"Unpleasant," he said finally, sighing. "Very well. I will give you your death. You seem to want it so." He held up his staff, glowing darkly, and Kinoc and the soldiers that had been watching dissolved into pyreflies.

"Run!" Kimahri growled. "Protect Yuna!" As he said this, Seymour began to float into the air, wings sprouting from his back and his skin draining of color until it was ashen gray, more like stone than anything else.

"Go!" Auron commanded sharply, and Tidus drew his sword, paling next to Seymour's magic.

"No way!" he exclaimed. "I'm fighting!" The guardian's katana appeared in front of the blitzer's face.

"I said go!" His hand slipped from mine as my grip loosened, and Auron stayed just behind the group as they all ran back down the ramp.

x.X.x

**_Drenched in vanilla twilight, I'll sit on the front porch all night..._ --my favorite song EVAR!**

**So I didn't reread this one, which means there'll be more typos and mistakes than usual, especially since it's a bit longer than normal. Let me know if you find any major ones ;)**

**YEY! FINALLY WE HAVE SOME ROMANCE-ISH STUFF! And if you missed it, go back and reread it. It was fun to write about ^^**

**I don't want to get too into Auron and Aey's relationship too quickly, since that could easily turn into a black hole of OOC-ness on Auron's part. I have some plans for Macalania Woods, but that's really it. Suggestions would be nice, but no guarantees that I'll use 'em. Still, I appreciate it, since I'm kind of running out of time until Zanarkand--as one reviewer pointed out XD**

**ANYWAY, Aey's fear will become more pronounced later. Hopefully. If I remember...**

**Efharistó! (that's Greek, and I'm not sure about the spelling. Obviously, the characters are very different, so that might just be how you say it ^^)**


	16. Macalania Woods Pt 2

**Heeelllloooo my peeps! How is everyone today? Major danke to Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira. Did I forget anyone? **

**The list is getting up there, people! **

**ANYWAY, it's late. And I should be sleeping. Again.**

**Don't own FFX. I own Aey. And my snake. And rat. And dog. And parrot. And fishy. And kitty cat. And my pet rock. Her name is Joey.**

**CARRY ON!**

x.X.x

Yuna skidded to a halt, looking back at her Ronso guardian and saying suddenly, "I won't leave Kimahri behind!"

"He is a guardian!" Auron said sharply. "Protecting you is everything!"

"Auron!" Yuna pleaded, and with surprise I noticed that she had dropped the title, "sir" she normally used with him.

"That's right! We're all guardians!" Tidus interrupted, and I saw a flash of exasperation that mingled with knowing acceptance in the oldest guardian's eyes. "Yeah, and you know what that means?" he asked, turning to the summoner with a nod. "Yuna…anywhere you go, I'll follow!"

"Anywhere?" Yuna asked, beginning to get what he was saying.

"Yeah, anywhere!" Tidus exclaimed, and as Auron sighed, the two teenagers said in unison, "Let's go!" Lulu and Wakka both followed, and the black mage glanced back at me. I nodded, and Auron shook his head and began to walk forward again.

"I suppose we don't have a choice," he said impassively. "So we fight." I nodded, staying beside the guardian as Tidus, Lulu, and Rikku began the battle on the front lines. Yuna, as always, was standing behind them, and as soon as Rikku darted in to steal a potion from Seymour, I took her place. Yuna, from Auron's guidance, cast Reflect on everyone, a newly learned spell, and I almost laughed as Seymour's magical attacks were bounced back at him.

Tidus really _did _laugh, and in fact was almost doubled over as almost every one of Seymour's attacks were reflected back at him. Only the Mortibody, his floating, demonic attachment, could get an attack in, and even then Auron took it down every time it returned. Even the most solemn guardian in the group was smirking, perhaps finally exacting his revenge, as Seymour only became more and more frustrated.

"Reflect on Seymour," Auron said after a couple of minutes.

"What?!" Yuna asked. "But--"

"He's going to use Curaga on himself. If you time it correctly, the spell will bounce off Seymour and hit someone on the front line," the guardian explained quickly, and Yuna nodded without another word and complied, just as the Curaga spell was cast. It hit Yuna herself, who smiled slightly at the Maester's rage and frustration.

Finally, as the Mortibody drained the last of Seymour's energy, he threw back his head and let out a howl, dissolving into black smoke and pyreflies. Tidus and Rikku both burst into wild hoots of laughter, each saying to the other, "Didja see his face?!" and "That was absolutely priceless!"

"They don't seem to grasp the danger they were just in," Auron said with his derisive chuckle. "But for once, I agree with those two." I smiled.

"Mm-hmm." I looked at Yuna, whose smile faded as she glanced back at the remains of Seymour. Her faith in Yevon was damaged: that much was clear. Tidus looked back at her as well, and walked over, putting his hand on her shoulder, but said nothing. Rikku tilted her head to one side and followed, giving Yuna a hug, and the summoner gave a sad smile, her words inaudible from this far away.

"We need to go," Auron said, to no one in particular, but everyone heard it. I nodded, and Yuna packed up without a word and started walking. Tidus, for once, took the hint, knowing to leave her alone for the time-being.

We tried to stay low as we exited Bevelle, but the place was in too much confusion to really notice. Seymour's bride had supposedly jumped off the Tower of Light, Seymour was gone, Kinoc was dead, and Spira's largest city was in utter chaos. No one spoke as we trudged slowly back into the relative safety of Macalania Woods.

"Have you talked to Yuna?" Lulu's quiet voice broke the silence, and I shrugged.

"Not necessarily. Have you?"

"No." The black mage sighed, staying at a low volume. "I just wish I could do something."

"I'm sure we all wish that, Tidus especially," I answered, nodding in understanding. "I think she'll work it out eventually, but some help might be good. From Tidus, I mean. Perhaps Kimahri. And you and Wakka, of course." Lulu inclined her head, smiling, and said, "You as well. She actually really likes you, Aey: she's said that you remind her of a younger version of what little memories she has of her mother." I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and almost stopped walking.

"That's…" I couldn't find a word, and shook my head. Lulu smiled, laughing once, and looked up at a huge oak tree that Rikku had evidently picked out, forming a nice little clearing with many nooks and crannies, perfect for a campsite. Yuna said nothing, only dropped her belongings by the tree and said to Auron, "I need to go to the spring for a little while." He nodded.

"Do as you wish."

Yuna dipped her head, taking her staff and disappearing into the woods. Kimahri followed, staying a couple of yards behind, and both of them faded out of sight. After a moment, Wakka asked, "Well?"

"We're all clear," Auron answered quietly. "We will have to avoid Bevelle in the future." The blitzer nodded, as did the others, and Auron asked, "Yuna?"

"She said she wanted to be alone," Rikku answered with a sigh, having walked with the summoner for the last segment of the journey.

"Of course," Auron murmured, exhaling and walking around to the side of the huge oak tree, leaning against it and just out of view. Soft _shink _sounds emanated from where he was sitting, and I walked over, curious. The guardian looked up as I walked in front of him and sat down in his shadow, my back against the tree trunk as well, and pulled my knees up to my chest. He kept sharpening his knife, switching to his monstrous katana after a moment and quickly running the whetstone over the blade a couple of times before leaning it against the tree again.

He looked up and held his hand out for my own knife, and I passed him the curved dagger he had given me. Auron looked down without a word and began sharpening it as well, taking more deliberate strokes over the arc of the blade.

"Was Lord Braska's pilgrimage as exciting as this one?" I asked finally with a sad smile, and the guardian didn't look up as he replied, "Not in the slightest. It was eventful, and I'm sure quite interesting for Braska thanks to Jecht and I, but we would have never gotten away from something like this."

"Yuna…" I trailed off, shaking my head, and Auron passed my dagger back before answering.

"She is confused. She only needs time to think, and I believe that Tidus can help her."

"He _does _say whatever crosses his mind," I answered with a laugh, and a small smirk turned the corners of his mouth up.

"Indeed."

I sighed, letting my head fall onto his shoulder without much thought. Auron was still for a moment, possibly from surprise, and after a couple of moments he shifted, draping an arm over my shoulders in response. I closed my eyes and kept talking.

"Where did you grow up?" I asked, and Auron took a second to answer.

"Bevelle. I trained as a Warrior Monk in the temple, and met Braska when I was around twenty-three, twenty-four. Shortly after I had…left the Warrior Monks."

"When did you meet Jecht?" I asked, opening my eyes and looking up at him.

"A day or two before the pilgrimage began. Braska received word of a man claiming to be from Zanarkand in the prison, and took me with him to investigate. Naturally, Braska was intrigued by Jecht, which may have been the sole reason he became Braska's guardian in the first place," Auron answered. I nodded, shutting my eyes and leaning closer, yawning as I slowly drifted off.

When I woke, Tidus was gone, and Yuna was still not back. Auron's arm was still around my shoulders, and I had buried my face in his cloak as I slept. I stirred, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, and he glanced down at me without turning his head.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked, suddenly nervous after my little nap and wondering if he was simply putting up with me, instead of responding to what I did with the same type of feeling. I was thankful, now, that we were sitting behind the tree and pretty much out of earshot of the others, and I wondered what they would think if they saw us.

"Not long." Auron's voice was still more or less emotionless, but there was an undercurrent to it that I had never heard. "Perhaps thirty, forty-five minutes."

"You were sitting here all that time?"

"I was."

"Did I bore you, falling asleep for almost an hour?" I asked with a chuckle, but the question was a serious one.

"No." Auron offered no more explanation, but the utter truthfulness in his voice reassured me. I smiled, leaning back again and pressing my palm into the bark of the oak tree at my back, my other hand reaching down absently to interlace my fingers in his.

"When are we leaving?" I asked after a moment.

"Dawn. Yuna and Tidus should be back by then." He looked up, at the deep indigo sky, and nodded to himself.

"So," I began, and the guardian looked back down at me. "You were with Tidus in Zanarkand?"

"Yes. Jecht…asked me to watch over his son after he had gone. I went to Zanarkand to do so, and left Kimahri, Lulu, and Wakka to take care of Yuna. Braska had asked me to do the same for her," Auron explained, shifting into a more comfortable position. Perhaps by coincidence--perhaps not--it brought him minutely closer to me. "I became her guardian partly because I could guard them both that way." I nodded.

"How _did _you meet Lord Braska, anyway?" I asked, and the guardian said nothing for a couple of seconds.

"He and I crossed paths just outside of Bevelle, shortly after I had been asked to marry the priest's daughter," Auron finally answered in clipped sentences, his suddenly harder tone implying that I shouldn't press. I nodded, and he looked up. "I believe it's time to go." Auron got to his feet, pulling me up with him and then letting go of my hand as he walked out into the clearing. He stood, watching, and waited as two figures appeared out of the trees. Tidus and Yuna each had their fingers entwined in the other's, smiling as they glanced at each other every now and then. Yuna's smile, however, faded as she stopped in front of her guardians and bowed.

"Sir Auron?" she asked, and the legendary guardian looked up, nodding as Yuna's gaze shifted to the others, dipping her head to each one in turn. "Wakka? Lulu? Kimahri? Aey? Rikku?" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Everyone, we leave at dawn. And…I'm sorry to have put you all through this. And…um…" Yuna hesitated, looking up as Auron stepped forward and held up a hand.

"Enough," he said, his expression unreadable. "You need your rest." Yuna clasped her hands in front of her and bowed slightly.

"Yes. Good night," she agreed, sounding only too happy to drop the subject. The summoner turned, nodding at her guardians again, and threw out blankets on the other side of the clearing. She sat down on them, looking up as Tidus followed and dropped onto the ground Indian-style, and the two began talking quietly.

The other guardians dispersed, some unrolling blankets, and followed suit. Rikku climbed the oak tree to the topmost branches and Auron took the watch again, sitting down with his back to the trunk. I walked to the outside of the clearing, fringed by shadows, and sat down there. Lulu came up behind, throwing out blankets and sinking onto the ground facing me, her back to the group.

"Where to next?" I asked in a low voice, and the mage shrugged.

"The Calm Lands, unless Yuna wants to go somewhere else. Have you ever been there?" she inquired, and I shook my head.

"I've heard much about it, but I've never actually been to the place."

Lulu nodded, and then a smirk appeared on her face.

"What was so important that you had to hide behind a tree from the others?" she asked pointedly, glancing at Auron. I laughed quietly.

"Not sure. He sat down there, and I followed," I answered, and Lulu dipped her head with a coy smile.

"Of course."

"Changing the subject," I began, poking her teasingly in the shoulder, "Are we only crossing the Calm Lands, or going to Remiem Temple?" The black mage shrugged.

"My guess would be that we are first going to simply cross the Calm Lands, but we will probably return there," she said, and I nodded.

"Makes sense. Alright, well,"--I curled up under the blankets with my back to the forest--"'Night."

"Good night."

We all woke before the sunrise, when the sky was only just barely brightening and the stars were blinking out one by one. Yuna said nothing as we packed up, taking the lead at the front of the group with a contemplative look on her face. As we walked into the field, I looked around, drinking it all in. The cliffs closing in on three sides of the plain, the gaping scar carved into the back, the small Al Bhed shop in the middle of it all. The Calm Lands.

"Long ago, the high summoners fought Sin here," Lulu murmured, echoing my thoughts. "The road ends here. Beyond, there are no towns, no villages. Only endless plains."

"Many summoners stray from their path and lose their way here." Auron's voice was both a warning and an observation, emotionless and as hard as ever. Yuna exhaled, flopping onto the ground with her arms spread and staring up at the azure sky.

"I've always known where to go," she sighed, shaking her head and closing her eyes for a moment, letting the sun warm her face. Tidus walked up next to her, sitting down on the ground next to the summoner.

"I…" he began, staring into her eyes as they opened. "I won't let you die. I'll find a way, somehow." Yuna nodded, and I couldn't tell if she believed him or not as he stood and helped her up. We all stared out over the Calm Lands, and if I closed my eyes I could believe that I was back home in Luca, in the stadium, the wind blowing across my face and drying my soaked hair. Another game won.

"Let's go," the summoner said, turning with Tidus and beginning to walk off. The others followed her, waving once to an Al Bhed ship that had landed next to us before continuing to the brightly colored shop. As we were stocking up, a man came into view and began walking toward us.

"Father Zuke!" Lulu exclaimed.

"Long time, no see," the priest answered, bowing with a smile as he turned to Yuna and raised and eyebrow. "You are Yuna?" The summoner nodded, looking perplexed. "Hmm…you certainly don't look like Maester Kinoc's murderer." His tone suggested that he knew perfectly well that Yuna had not killed Kinoc. Father Zuke waited at the outraged exclamations from some of the guardians, and tilted his head at Yuna as she said, "Please, tell us what has happened!" His cool tone did not waver as he answered, "Maester Mika just issued a personal order, you know. It said that you and your guardians murdered Maester Kinoc and fled." His eyes sparkled as if he were amused by it. "We are to kill you on sight, or so it says."

"What of Bevelle?" Auron's voice was icy and hard as he inquired of his old home, and Father Zuke inclined his head as he answered, "Things are calm on the surface, but the depths are turbulent." His warm blue eyes darkened. "After the death of Maester Kinoc, Kelk Ronso left Yevon."

"Convenient," Auron murmured, almost to himself. "Getting around will be easier with Yevon in disarray." Zuke nodded, and then gave Yuna a cautioning glance.

"But be careful, my friends. You have been branded enemies of Yevon. You should avoid temples for the time-being."

"Thank you, Father Zuke, for your warning," Yuna said courteously, bowing.

"Father…" Lulu began hesitantly, and the priest turned to her. "You came all the way here just to tell us this?"

"To tell the truth, I was a little curious to see…" Zuke paused, nodding to Yuna before turning back to the mage, "…This summoner you are guarding. I hope her pilgrimage goes well." He smiled understandingly. "For your sake, too."

"Thank you, Father," Lulu murmured, performing the prayer. Zuke did the same, saying, "I must be off. I will pray for all of you." With that, the priest turned and walked away, disappearing over the horizon.

The guardians all turned back to their conversations, but Lulu watched Zuke go, standing at the fence encircling the shop and staring out over the land. I walked up beside her, and after a moment said, "You know him?" The mage nodded, turning to face me.

"Until six months ago, he was a summoner. His guardians were Wakka and I." The blitzer himself came up at Lulu's shoulder, saying with a laugh, "It was kind of a short pilgrimage."

"He gave up halfway. Here, on this plain. Now, Father Zuke is a monk at Bevelle Temple." Lulu paused as Wakka drifted away, back toward Tidus, and continued, "This is my third pilgrimage. Father Zuke was my second, and my first, well…" She trailed off, saying finally, "It ended here, too. I've never been to the lands beyond." I nodded not prying, and smiled when Lulu changed the subject. "How's the black magic coming?"

"Perfectly horrible!" I answered, infusing as much falsetto cheerfulness as I could, and the mage laughed as her sadness drained away.

"You can't even get a little flame yet?"

"Nope." Lulu raised an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, you don't want to kick a blitzball, either."

"Touché."

"Anyway," I sighed, leaning against the building. "Gagazet comes next?"

"Yes. The Ronso tribe should be interesting to deal with," Lulu answered. "And we may need to get chocobos to cross the Calm Lands, what with the fiends swarming everywhere." I nodded.

"I saw a chocobo trainer on our way here," I mused, and the mage nodded.

"I'll speak with Yuna about it." She turned away, toward the summoner, and I walked toward Auron. I was silent for a moment, following his gaze to the Scar: a giant fissure in the rock that Sin had ripped through.

"I doubt Yuna would pass up a chance to ride a chocobo," the guardian said finally, looking sideways at me. "Like her father before her."

"You had to ride chocobos on the Calm Lands as well?" I asked, and he nodded wearily.

"I wish I hadn't." Auron looked back at Yuna and Lulu talking, and sighed heavily when Yuna smiled and nodded, her gaze flicking to the chocobo trainer waiting just outside the shop. I chuckled.

"I doubt Yuna will let you walk instead of ride."

"As do I."

x.X.x

**Tada!**

**I was seriously CRACKING UP on the Seymour Natus fight. I think I scared my dad, rolling around on the floor laughing while Seymour just committed suicide. **

**Me: "DAD! LOOKIT THIS! LOOKIT THIS IDIOT! HE KEEPS CASTING SPELLS THAT SHOULD KILL ME IN TWO TURNS AND THEY'RE JUST REFLECTED BACK AT HIM AND HE'S BASICALLY KILLING HIMSELF 'SFORDINNERI'MHUNGRRYYYYY!!!**

**Dad: o_e**

**ANYWAY, has anyone here ever read the series Bleach? Ichigo Kurosaki, Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki, Zanpaku-to...? Anyone? Because it's EPIC.**

**So you know the drill. More romance here! Yey! Too much in too little time? Just right? Is Aey a Sue, is Auron in-character, blah blah blah. OH, and how am I doing on commas? I'm kind of trying...ish.**

**...**

**I'm thirsty. I think I'll go have some chocolate milk now~**

**I'm in a REALLY good mood. For the past week or so I've been in a slump where I just don't know what to do. I don't want to write, I don't feel like playing video games, the bookstore is closed (so I can't go buy more Bleach), etc etc etc. BUT I finally got out of that! So now I'm eating Oreos and laughing for no reason! **

**And YES, I call that a very good mood. Anyone else would call it insane.**

**Okay, rant over. Mahalo! (Hawaiian thank you)**


	17. Minnie, Jack, Jill, Lola, Rainbow, etc

**BOO! I _SCARED_ YOU, DIDN'T I? No? Well, too bad. Act scared anyway.**

**Okey dokey, thanks to Yuni30 (new reader!), ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira. Tell me if I forgot anyone! I'm getting excited at how many people READ THIS! *dance***

**ANYHOO, this is a nonsense-chapter. A filler. But I had a ton of fun writing it, so I hope you have fun reading it!**

**Don't own FFX. Do own Aey. Wish I owned a chocobo.**

****x.X.x

The summoner turned and waved us over, and as her guardians gathered around her she asked, "Is anyone averse to a little chocobo-riding?" She was met by cheers and grins from all but Auron, who sighed but said nothing. I smiled inwardly, and followed the summoner to the strangely dressed man perched astride a chocobo. He turned and smiled at her, bowing his head, and said, "Would you like to quicken your trip across the Calm Lands?"

"Yes, please," Yuna said, nodding, and the man was silent for a moment.

"I am afraid I have no ready chocobos at present. If you would like, you may train your own and then use those whenever you please…" he trailed off questioningly, and Yuna turned and looked back at her guardians. Lulu and I nodded, Tidus and Rikku smiled widely and gave her a thumbs-up, Wakka grinned, and Auron and Kimahri both folded their arms across their chest and said nothing. Yuna chuckled and nodded at the trainer.

He whistled, and a smaller chocobo came running, hopping into the air with a happy coo as the trainer stroked its neck. "This one's called Minnie. None of them are trained for riding, but they will come when called," he explained. "Now, who's first?"

"Ooh!" Rikku squealed, her hand shooting into the air. "Can I go first?! _Please_, Yunie?!" Yuna laughed.

"Go ahead," she said good-naturedly, and Rikku bounded forward. The trainer spoke both to her and the rest of the group, explaining how to train a chocobo.

"Now, all you need to do is make sure these birds stay on the right path, between the balloons I've got set up over there." He pointed at an area right in the middle of the field, where multiple pairs of balloons were weighted down and creating a long path. "You don't want to pop the balloons, and just tug a little on the reins to steer the chocobo straight. Got it?"

Rikku nodded happily, pulling herself onto the bird, and tapped its sides lightly with her feet. As soon as she did, the chocobo shot forward, and for a moment the Al Bhed girl looked like she was going to go flying. She managed to twine the leather straps around her fingers, pulling back on the reins to slow the adolescent bird, and gently tugged it this way and that to keep it straight.

She made it to the finish, and the trainer clapped enthusiastically. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed as she dismounted and led her mount back over to him. "For training it, you may keep that one."

"Really?!" Rikku's eyes lit up, and she smiled so wide I thought her face might crack. The trainer nodded, and she punched the air with her fist. "Yeah!" The Al Bhed led her new chocobo, Minnie, off to the side, cooing to it and running her fingers through its feathers.

"Alright, well," he said, laughing once. "Who's next?" Tidus, who had been speaking in a low voice with Yuna and chuckling every now and then, stepped forward with a backwards glance at her. She laughed at some inside joke, and the trainer whistled again.

This time, a slightly larger chocobo bounded up, and Tidus hoisted himself onto it. "This is Jack," the trainer said easily. Tidus nudged its sides confidently with his heels, though as soon as the bird began moving he started to sway. Auron laughed derisively and murmured to himself, "Just like his father." I smiled, watching Tidus lose the fight with gravity and go plummeting to the ground.

He got up and dusted himself off, making a wild grab for the chocobo as it began to strut away with an indignant tweet and a ruffle of its feathers. The blitzer managed to get the reins and pull himself up again, squeezing the life out of the poor bird with his knees as he hung on.

"This only makes me worried how horribly _I'll _do riding a chocobo," I muttered to Lulu, who chuckled.

"At least you're dressed for it," she answered good-naturedly, gesturing at her rather constricting dress and corset. I laughed and nodded.

"Well, we'll fail together," I said. "And possibly Wakka. Maybe Kimahri. And, if I can convince him, perhaps Auron."

"Looks like only Yuna and Rikku are going to have a manageable time trying to ride a chocobo," Lulu said in a low voice as Tidus finally shoved the chocobo the last yard to the finish line. The trainer raised an eyebrow, shaking his head with a smile, and then turned to the group again as Tidus led the bird over to where Rikku was waiting.

"I'll go!" Yuna volunteered, and the trainer nodded in approval.

"Don't go mistreating my chocobos, now," he said to her with a stern glance at Tidus, who shrugged helplessly. "This one's called Jill." Yuna nodded.

"I won't!" she promised, then hiked up her skirts and swung onto the bird's back. She was less successful than Rikku, but much more so than Tidus. The Al Bhed girl seemed to find it natural to ride chocobos, but the summoner managed well enough.

"Alright!" the trainer exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Who's next?"

No one volunteered now, not even Wakka. The only ones left were him Lulu, Kimahri, Auron, and me. The trainer raised his eyebrows as Yuna called out, "Come on! One of you! Don't worry: it's fun!"

"I'm sure it is for you, but not for us blitzers," I answered. "No balance, remember?" The summoner rolled her eyes playfully as she looked at the trainer.

"Well, go ahead and pick one. Even if we're not all going to ride, I want to see everyone train a chocobo!"

The trainer shrugged, looking extremely pleased with this change of events, and gestured at me.

"Alright, then, miss. Your turn."

"Oh, come on!" I groaned, narrowing my eyes at Yuna as I stepped forward. "You better not be recording this."

"Ooh, that's a good idea!" Rikku exclaimed, beginning to dig in her pack.

"No! Rikku, I didn't mean--" I stopped as the Al Bhed switched the little blue sphere on and sighed. "Fine. Watch me fail, and then we move on." She giggled, and I muttered to myself as the trainer whistled for a pink-bridled, smaller-sized bird. "You did _not _just give me a girly chocobo," I said in a low voice to him, and he chuckled and gestured.

"She's all yours, if you can train her. Lola's a mischievous little beast," he warned, and I sighed, but smiled despite myself. This should be interesting, to say the least. I couldn't do any worse than Tidus.

I walked forward and took her by the reins, sending a silent prayer to Yevon that I might have _some _degree of balance for this, and that this sassy little bird would decide to be nice for once. But, as always, my prayers were ignored. Yevon really needed to get himself an answering machine.

I pulled myself onto Lola, and she flapped her wings in excitement.

"Please, just go _straight_," I whispered, and she took off like a rocket. I screamed, letting go of the reins as a reflex reaction, and flew right off her tail feathers. Hitting the ground on my back, I rolled and got up, sighing as I turned to look back at Rikku. The Al Bhed waved cheerily, holding the sphere, and I rolled my eyes teasingly and flapped my hand at her.

The chocobo was waiting, a mischievous glint in her eye, and spread her tail feathers as I got back on. I got a firmer grip on the leather straps wrapped around her neck and beak, then nudged her flank with my heel. Again, Lola rocketed forward at a breakneck pace, and I yanked sharply back on the reins. I knew now why Tidus had practically forced his chocobo, Jack, over the finish line.

She turned her head innocently to look back at me, as if asking, _"Hey, I stopped! That's what you wanted…right?" _and I almost stuck my tongue out at the bird.

"Don't make me use my gloves," I said to Lola, and if chocobos could roll their eyes, she would have done just that. She tweeted indignantly and took off again, and once more I went flying. We were a couple feet from the finish line, and I looked back at the trainer. "Do I have to be riding her to get her over the finish line?" I called, and he grinned and shook his head with a _this oughta be good _look. I stood up, marched over to Lola, took her by the reins, and pulled her straight over the line. She dragged her claws in the dirt, squawking and flapping her wings, but I heaved that chocobo past every single one of the balloons lining the track.

She pouted, her tail feathers drooping, and I gave a "humph," saying, "And that's what you deserve for putting me through that…on camera." At this, Lola perked up with a very self-satisfied look, strutting around as if she was very, very proud of herself.

I dragged her over to Yuna and Tidus, muttering to my chocobo and already anticipating a rather long trip through the Calm Lands. Tidus held his hand out for a high-five, saying with a grin, "Blitzing and chocobo-riding don't mix, huh?" I laughed.

"Not at all. Let's see how Wakka does." The flame-haired blitzer had just stepped forward with a disgruntled expression, mounting the bird that the trainer had just introduced as "Alec." He did slightly better than we did, but none of the blitzball players in the group seemed to have been quite made for this.

"Damn chocobo," Wakka cursed as he trudged over to us, then let loose a stream of four-letter words as Alec tweeted and pecked him on the shoulder.

"Better watch your language around that bird!" Tidus said with a guffaw, and Wakka muttered a little more as he stepped in next to Rikku, Yuna, Tidus and I.

"Hey, it's Lulu," I said, grinning. The black mage looked utterly disbelieving as the trainer gestured at her, and unconsciously froze the ground underneath her in anger. "C'mon, Lu!" I called, waving. Then, in an undertone: "Rikku, you recording this?" The Al Bhed winked at me, giggling, and nodded as the black mage hoisted herself onto the bird, Rainbow.

Beside me, Lola tweeted and fluttered into the air for a moment, and Rainbow returned the gesture. Old friends, I presumed, but I hoped that Rainbow was nothing like Lola. Lulu might very well set the poor bird on fire if she tried the same stunts my chocobo had.

Apparently, Rainbow had seen Lulu's magic when the patch of grass beneath her feet had frozen, because there was no mischief in the ride. She did turn her head to nip at the belts on the black mage's dress, but a quick spout of water stopped that. Lulu, clearly, was going to set that bird straight from day one.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," she said thoughtfully as she reached us, still keeping an eye on her chocobo.

"Speak for yourself," I muttered, then felt a grin breaking out on my face as the trainer pointed at Auron.

"Your turn, in the red coat," he said, and I saw Auron's good eye close.

"I'll walk," he answered stonily.

"Please, Sir Auron?" Yuna called, and the guardian's eye opened to stare at her.

"You heard the lady." The trainer smiled, and Auron shook his head.

"I'll walk," he repeated, firmer this time. I rolled my eyes, jogging over with a stern glance back at Lola, who might have winked. She began to walk off defiantly, but Lulu grabbed her reins with a low, "Oh, no you don't," and the chocobo stopped with a pout. I nodded gratefully at the mage, then turned back around and walked up to Auron.

"I assume you're going to try and convince me to ride a chocobo?" he asked with a sigh. I shrugged.

"Or blackmail you. Whichever works." One eyebrow raised.

"Oh?"

"That sphere you showed me. Remember, in the chocobo barn? Of you, Braska, and Jecht riding a chocobo?"

"I don't know of many people that would be stupid enough to use that against me, but you _are _one of them, Aey."

"Well, thanks. Besides, it's not like you're going to do worse than any of us, and you can always just swing your katana around a bit to put your chocobo in its place."

Auron sighed, rolling his eyes, and I knew I had him convinced.

"Yuna isn't going to let me forget this," he murmured, exhaling, and finally stepped forward. I grinned, running back over to the others and taking Lola's reins.

"That's the spirit!" the trainer called, whistling. "This here is Bruno. He's a little bit of a feisty one." Auron said nothing, only set his katana down and pulled himself onto the bird, guiding it down the path. It chirped, swaggering forward, and I hid a smile behind my hand as Auron tugged gently on the reins. He had soon guided it smoothly to the finish line--no surprise takeoffs this time--and the trainer clapped his hands again.

"This is awesome," Rikku giggled from her perch on a boulder, still holding the sphere camera. I smiled.

"Mm-hmm." I looked up as Auron walked over trailing his chocobo, Bruno, behind him, and I gave him a thumbs-up.

"I feel like I'm twenty-five again," the guardian muttered.

"That's not a good thing?" I asked innocently, absently yanking Lola back as she tried to walk nonchalantly away.

"Not at all."

"Well, Lord Braska did say that you showed promise in chocobo-riding, didn't he?" I inquired, smiling, and Auron raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you have the ability to take the Chocobo Knights seriously?" he asked.

"Well, they were pretty good in Operation Mi'ihen."

"No one was 'good.' That was a doomed mission."'

"Be that as it may, they still fought as well as Crusaders." I stopped as Kimahri folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, and again Yuna cheered him on.

"She's a persistent one," Auron sighed. I nodded.

Finally the Ronso, unwilling to go against Yuna's wishes, shook his head, but stepped forward anyway and mounted the chocobo. It squawked under his weight, then finally settled into a more comfortable position. Kimahri was silent, impassively walking the bird over the finish line and then giving it back to the trainer. Yuna laughed, and Rikku switched the sphere off and stowed it in her bag.

"Well, everyone ready?" the summoner asked, and Rikku nodded enthusiastically. I sighed and got up, looking Lola in the eye and raising my eyebrows at her. She chirped, an impish glint in her black irises, and stayed calm as I mounted her. Auron sighed, mounting his chocobo, and Kimahri kept pace easily with the running birds, having decided not to take one.

As soon as we really got going, though, Lola and Rainbow exchanged glances, then each one bolted for the cliff. I flailed for a moment, sliding off Lola's back as she skidded for the sheer drop, and Lulu did the same. She stood, glaring at Rainbow, who was chattering happily with Lola as if sharing a joke. I stormed over, grabbed the chocobo's reins, and dragged her back. Staring at her, I pulled my fighting gloves on and mounted again, muttering to myself as we kept going.

Tidus was trying to hide a laugh as Lulu and I reached the others, and I glared at him.

"It could easily be you," I told him, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, but it wasn't. That's what makes it so hilarious."

"Sure, sure." I nudged Lola a little too hard with my heels, and she squawked and turned to look at me. I sighed, scratching her at the base of her neck as an apology. If I didn't, I knew I was setting myself up for another trick.

"Well, to Remiem Temple?" Yuna asked, smiling, and I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"Sounds good."

Lulu dipped her head, and the summoner clucked at her chocobo to get it moving. The rest of us followed, and I raised my eyebrows at Auron's inconspicuous smirk. To Remiem Temple it was.

x.X.x

**Tada!**

**I had a chocobo in FFX named Cocoa Puff. It RAWKED. XD So obedient.**

**I almost went insane trying to get Tidus' final weapon. You have to get a freakin' score of freakin' ZERO while racing the stinking TRAINER. Eventually I just gave up. But I beat Jecht anyway, so take THAT chocobo trainer!!!**

**ANYWAY, I had fun naming the chocobos. Rainbow might be my favorite. Or Bruno XD**

**And Miss Lola is going to cause some problems later on ;)**

**So. You should know the drill by now, and I want some feedback in terms of romance and stuff, if you please. I'm not telling you to or anything: just asking your opinion.**

**Thanks so much! Everyone's reviews really mean a lot to me ^^  
**


	18. Calm Lands

**Hey! I'm listening to a combination of the best songs ever, so I'm in a SERIOUSLY good mood. To anyone else, I'd look creepy, mouthing the words to my favorite songs and writing like crazy. They'd probably be able to hear the music blasting from my earbuds from across the room...  
**

**ANYWAY, thanks to the usual people. I'll mention everyone's name when I get a new reader ;)**

**Don't own FFX. I DO own Aey. Pickles. (by the way, this is a pretty long chapter. Just FYI)  
**

x.X.x**  
**

As we rode our newly acquired chocobos to a small tunnel snaking out of the Calm Lands, Rikku turned and started recording everyone, balancing perfectly on the back of her bird, Minnie. She was crouched in her saddle, riding at the front of the group, and Auron said in an irritated tone, "Will you just turn that thing off?"

"Why?" Rikku whined, and Auron sighed.

"Not all of us are as happy to be on a chocobo as you are, much less have it on camera."

"But it'll make good memories!"

"That isn't the point."

"So what is?"

"Defeating Sin."

"And if we don't have anything to show for it, or anything to look back on, what'll we do?"

"Sin will be gone. That will be what we have to show for it."

"Well, fine." Rikku's lower lip stuck out in a pout. "I'll turn it off, for the almighty Auron." At the last two words she struck an outrageous pose, still squatting on her chocobo, and adopted a deep and important-sounding tone. Auron sighed again, and the Al Bhed stowed the sphere back in her bag, winking at Yuna.

I exchanged a glance with Lulu, shaking my head with a smile. Lola glanced back at me, then at Rainbow, and I only just barely managed to hold onto the reins as she darted forward in a mad dash. I jerked back on the leather straps around her neck as hard as I could, and she came to a screeching halt. Lulu was not so gentle, and let down a torrent of water on her own chocobo, who chirped feebly in response and shot Lola a look.

Each of us grumbling, we steered them back to the others, and I muttered to Lulu, "It might be faster to just walk."

"Probably," she agreed, then gave a stern glance to Lola, having subdued her bird. Lola, however, spread her tail feathers and began walking with more of a bounce in her step, looking very pleased with herself.

"You keep that up, and I'm going to borrow Auron's katana and set you straight," I said to her, tugging on the reins to draw her gaze to the giant sword resting over the guardian's shoulder, who gave a glance back. Lola chirped condescendingly, pointedly turning her head away, and I sighed as I shrugged hopelessly at Auron.

"Talking to your chocobo?" he asked critically.

"She's probably understanding every word I say," I answered, trying to keep Lola walking straight as I did. She fluffed up her feathers, making me lose my balance and almost fall again, managing to hold on with my knees at the last moment while cursing the balance we blitzers _weren't _born with. Auron's half-smile was just barely visible over his collar, and I rolled my eyes.

"I've heard that there are chocobo races at Remiem Temple," the guardian said wryly. I sighed playfully.

"And you think I'm going to race with this monster?" I asked, gesturing to Lola. She squeaked indignantly and shook herself, flaring her wings, and I slid off and hit the ground with a dull _thud_. "See what I mean?" I muttered as looked up at the bird. "She knows exactly what I'm saying."

"I wouldn't say that," Auron answered with a smirk. He held out a hand after a moment, and I hesitated in surprise, finally taking it and pulling myself up. The guardian didn't meet my gaze, but I hardly noticed as Lola bolted with a happy coo. I spun around, watching her run off with her long chocobo gait, and sighed.

"I was probably going to end up walking anyway," I muttered. "I suppose we'll see her in Remiem Temple." Auron chuckled, shaking his head.

"If she listened to you, you would probably be able to win the chocobo race."

"Big emphasis on the 'if' in that statement, isn't there?"

"Inevitably."

I laughed, beginning to walk the last hundred yards to the temple. After a moment, Auron dismounted as well.

"If you don't have to ride, then I don't," he said shortly. "I don't need Rikku recording yet more footage of me riding an oversized bird."

"You're better at it than I am," I answered, glancing pointedly at Lola, still prancing along at the entrance to Remiem Temple. "I suppose I'll warm up to her soon enough."

"She has character," Auron agreed, just as Lola disappeared inside the temple at the moment we walked up.

"She reminds me of a little girl," I muttered. "I'm going to have to go catch her before we leave." He laughed once as we entered the temple, and Yuna stopped short upon seeing the thin, unreliable-looking bridge spanning a wide abyss that led to the actual temple.

"C'mon, Yunie!" Rikku called as she got off her chocobo, Minnie, and gave it a big kiss on the beak before running straight across the bridge without a second thought. Yuna smiled nervously, and Tidus chuckled. The summoner finally dismounted and walked carefully across the swaying wooden structure, sighing in relief as she got to solid ground. Tidus was right behind her, both of them having left their chocobos, Jack and Jill, behind. Wakka went next, walking quickly across the bridge with his eyes flicking from the abyss to the wood beneath his feet and back again.

"Our turn?" I asked, glancing at Lulu, who had come up next to me. The black mage nodded, swinging off Rainbow and swaying once on her feet before shooting a glare at the bird and beginning to walk across the bridge.

"I take it you're going to leave without your chocobo?" she asked as we were crossing, hands clenched on the fraying rope that served as a handrail.

"No. I'll probably have to find Lola to--" At her name, Lola burst out of the shadows next to the temple with a loud squawk and ran for the bridge, barreling past us and making the wooden structure creak and swing dangerously. I almost screamed, taking hold of the rope and hanging on for dear life as my chocobo ran back and forth across the bridge, buffeting us with her wings as she shot past. Lola even jumped up and down once, making one of the wooden planks crack, and now I did scream as the lower rope snapped beneath my fingers.

Finally, as Lola had reached the other side and was preparing to bolt back across, Auron grabbed her reins and forced her to a standstill. I heard her chirp crossly, which faded off as Auron took his katana off his shoulder and rested the tip of it meaningfully in the ground. Gradually, the bridge stopped rocking, and Lulu and I stood shakily.

"That…" Lulu began, looking like she very much wanted to let out a stream of certain words. She glanced at Rikku and Yuna, however, and sighed, finishing, "_bird…_is a disgrace. If she tries something like that again, I swear to Yevon I'll roast her alive."

"In case you need it, you have my full approval," I answered, regaining what little equilibrium I had. Lulu nodded, a smile inching across her face, and we walked the last couple yards to the temple.

"The only question is," Tidus began when we had gotten there, grinning at me, "Who's going to hold Ms. Trouble when there's no one left to hold her?"

"Well, either Auron or Kimahri will just have to run as fast as they can," Rikku answered cheerfully. I chuckled.

"Somehow I doubt that'll be fast enough."

Auron and Kimahri were both talking quietly on the other side, and finally the Ronso folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, taking Lola's reins and gesturing for Auron to go ahead of him. The guardian nodded, walking uneventfully across the bridge as Lola strained against her captor, and finally it was Kimahri's turn.

He did nothing unusual: merely let the chocobo free and began to tread calmly across. Lola began to run forward, then seemed to think better of it and gave a discouraged chirp, turning and stalking off. I laughed.

"I wonder if I'll be able to get her back," I mused, and Tidus shook his head.

"Don't count on it."

As soon as everyone was on the right side of the bridge, Yuna led the way into the temple. Belgemine, the face that I had come to know, was waiting patiently, and gave the summoner a warm smile.

"Welcome, Yuna," she murmured.

"What is this place?" Yuna asked, now looking awestruck at the richly decorated interior of the temple.

"Remiem Temple. Once a great religious center in the Calm Lands, lost after the battle with Sin."

"And this is your home?" Tidus interjected, his eyebrows raised. "What, you got something against company?"

"It's a long story," the older summoner sighed. "Easier perhaps to show you." As she spoke, shimmering pyreflies rose from her body, and Tidus exhaled.

"You're dead, too?" he asked in a dull voice, as if sick and tired of all this dead business.

"Don't send me just yet," Belgemine warned as Yuna began to raise her staff. "There is still one thing left for me to do here. With the help I can give, a young summoner might just be able to defeat Sin." She paused as Yuna stopped, looking confused. "Well, Yuna? I challenge you: if you cannot beat me, you'll never beat Sin."

Understanding dawned on the summoner's face, and she nodded.

"I'll do my best."

"Very well. Before we begin…" Belgemine waved her hand once, apparently healing Yuna's aeons. "Now, are you ready?" Yuna nodded, summoning Ifrit as Belgemine called Valefor, and the battle began. By dint of strategy and switching aeons out multiple times, Yuna finally defeated all of Belgemine's, and was given a gift every time. The older summoner nodded, pleased. "You have made some progress, and for that I am glad. Take this: it may come in handy." She passed a pouch to Yuna, containing a Farplane Wind, and Yuna wearily performed the prayer before beginning to send Belgemine. She bowed her head, smiling once at us before dissolving into pyreflies, and Yuna was still for a moment.

Without a word, she turned and exited the temple, her guardians close behind her. Yuna was silent, but her face lit up when she saw the chocobo races.

"Everyone promise we can come back here and race chocobos when we have time," she said earnestly, and I didn't bother to question when we would ever "have time." Her guardians, seeing her eagerness and not wanting to crush it, nodded. Yuna dipped her head, then turned and walked across the bridge with Rikku.

Lola was nowhere in sight, so we all carefully crossed after them. As soon as we had, the troublemaker herself tweeted and burst out of the trees, flapping her wings and sending feathers everywhere. After flinching and shielding my face--much like what everyone else was doing--I jumped up and grabbed her reins, yanking her head down to my level.

She stared earnestly at me, almost going cross-eyed to try and see my face, which was right in front of her beak, and hooted. Her charcoal-black irises were bright and happy, as if she couldn't wait to perform her next trick, and I sighed and let Lola go.

"You're a bad influence," I told her sternly. She flapped her wings enthusiastically, as if saying, _"Thanks!" _and waited patiently as I pulled myself into the saddle. I smiled apologetically at Yuna, who chuckled as she mounted Jill, and we all began to ride aimlessly. Lulu, riding Rainbow beside me, looked up at the setting sun and said, "It's getting late. Shall we make camp?"

Yuna stopped, nodding. "Good idea," she said, and glanced around. "Where?"

"Ooh!" Rikku exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a cluster of trees hidden in the crevice of one of the cliffs. "How 'bout over there?"

"I suppose that's as good a place as any," Tidus said with a shrug, and Yuna nodded as she clucked to her chocobo to get her moving. Jill obeyed without question, and Jack, Bruno, Minnie, and Alec followed close behind. Rainbow and Lola, however, had other ideas.

I growled in frustration as Lola darted to the side, and yanked her back a little harder than necessary.

"That's enough," I told her severely. She hooted defiance, but lowered her head and walked obediently behind the others. Rainbow did the same when Lulu singed the very tips of her tail feathers, and we walked uneventfully to the miniature forest Rikku had pointed out. The Al Bhed swung off of Minnie, stroking her feathers before letting the chocobo roam, and the other guardians did the same. "Don't try anything," I said in a low voice to Lola, who might have rolled her eyes. I turned her loose and began setting up camp, unrolling blankets and starting a fire with Rikku. She squatted by the pile of wood, using a pocket-sized machina to make a spark large enough to ignite, and as soon as the fire was going she began to talk to me.

"So," the Al Bhed began, poking the flames a bit. "How's life treating you?"

"Can't complain much," I answered, shrugging.

"Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure." I was used to her offhand requests, and saw no harm in agreeing. She got up, blowing on the fire a little bit before bouncing off with a "We're going for a walk, Yunie!" called over her shoulder. I shrugged and followed, beginning to lope aimlessly around the Calm Lands. "So," she said again.

"So…?" I prompted, and Rikku giggled.

"What do you think…about me?" she asked spontaneously, as if I had just chosen Truth in a game of Truth or Dare.

"I think you're fun to be around," I answered nonchalantly. "Where is this conversation headed?"

"No, no, no," Rikku said with an exaggerated sigh. "What do like about me? What do I do that annoys you? Who do you think I am?" She spouted off questions, and I answered when she paused for breath, fearing that I wouldn't get another chance.

"Okay…I really like how you're always so upbeat. You're always like, 'Hey! Let's go try this! Or this! Or maybe we can go chocobo-racing! Oh, I know! Let's go _shoopuf riding!_' You just add a little brightness to the pilgrimage." At this, Rikku beamed.

"What do I do that annoys you?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"I'll have to think a little on that one."

"Well, think!"

Okay, okay. Let's see…" I knew that the Al Bhed girl wouldn't take "Nothing" for an answer, so I thought back on the pilgrimage. "Well, I suppose it used to annoy me how you were so anti-Yevon, but I got used to it after…well, Home." Rikku nodded, unfazed.

"Okay…anything else?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Alrighty, then…" The Al Bhed thought for a moment, tapping her chin. "What do you think about…Tidus?"

"Tidus? He's a character, that's for sure. He's really optimistic, but I suppose he has his down moments, too." I thought for a moment. "It's clear that he's in love with Yuna, and she him…" Rikku nodded.

"And…?" she prompted.

"Well, I suppose there's not much else to say about him."

"How does he get on your nerves?"

"He's just a little overconfident sometimes, but I suppose I am, too."

"Okay! Now we're rolling!" Rikku exclaimed happily, turning around to walk backwards and face me. "How about Wakka?"

"I don't know him that well, but he seems…sweet."

"I like his hair," the girl said airily. "It's…poofy." I chuckled.

"Alright, there's his hair…" I pondered it for a couple of moments. "I guess that's it, other than the fact that he's a little bit prejudiced."

"How 'bout Kimahri?" Rikku asked, cocking her head to one side.

"I don't know him that well, either, but I definitely respect him," I answered with a shrug, and Rikku nodded.

"I like him," she said matter-of-factly. "Okay, then. What do you think about…Yunie?"

"Yuna might just be the most determined person I've ever seen. She just…floats over everything bad, but she still feels it. It's interesting," I replied mildly. "The only thing about her that I _don't _like is her…inability to see what _she _needs, instead of what other people need."

"Yeah," Rikku agreed, walking along in silence for a couple of moments. "How about Lulu?"

"Lulu?" I thought for a moment. "Obviously, I think she's great. She's hysterical, even when she doesn't mean to be, great to talk to, a good guardian…I could go on and on. She's just a little stubborn sometimes," I said with a laugh, and Rikku chuckled.

"Yep. Lulu's great," she answered. "Now…what do you think about Auron?" I sighed.

"Was this your ulterior motive all along?" I asked with a wry smile.

"You bet!" Rikku answered, grinning. "Now answer the question." I nodded.

"Well…he's obviously an amazing guardian," I began, and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't care what kind of a _guardian _he is. I care what you think about him!"

"Fine. I think he's extremely reserved, interesting, and good at giving advice. Happy now?"

"Nope! I want to know how he is to _you. _What does Aey think about Sir Auron the guardian?" Rikku asked, and I raised my eyebrows.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"Anything!"

"Are you recording this?" I wouldn't have put it past her to put a secret camera in her bag. However, she shook her head vigorously and stuck her pinky out.

"Nope. Pinky-swear." I hesitated, then sighed and locked pinkies.

"Fine."

"Now, tell me everything!"

"Alright, alright." I laughed despite myself, walking along for a couple of moments before starting to talk. To tell the truth, I really didn't think about what Rikku was asking me much, but I could see her getting more and more interested with every word. "He's confusing to me, but I just think that makes him interesting, like I said. I really…don't know exactly how to act around Auron, especially because of how quiet he is. I've never been able to get more than a couple of words at a time out of him."

"I hear ya there," Rikku sighed. "I just can't talk to him at all!" She paused. "Okay, go on."

"Well, I almost find that…a challenge, in a way. It's weird, because it's like I'm making myself try to make normal conversation with me, or get him to trust me enough to do so, but it never works."

"_I _think it does. He certainly talks to you more than anyone else!" the Al Bhed pointed out. I shrugged.

"He talked to Lulu for at least a couple of minutes when we were under the lake," I said, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, that was only 'cause _you _asked him to! He probably has a much easier time talking to other people about things that don't necessarily affect him than he does trying to talk to you about himself. He's _Auron, _for Yevon's sake. That's how he is!" Rant over, she nodded and gestured for me to continue.

"I suppose," I agreed, shrugging. "Anyway, I start feeling a lot better when I actually _do _get him to talk to me, because it's like…he doesn't talk for no reason, you know? He knows what he's talking about, and he doesn't just open up to random people. It almost makes me feel…I guess…important." Rikku giggled.

"You're blushing," she said, grinning. "I _knew _you liked him! I knew it! I knew it when we were under the lake, when I saw you two walking together, when Auron was teaching you to fight…I _knew _it!"

"I--" I began to defend myself, then sighed and closed my mouth, rolling my eyes skyward. "Fine. Are you happy _now?_"

"Yep!" The Al Bhed started skipping, and I only just now noticed that we had made a full circle and were almost back at the campsite. Rikku had already disappeared into the trees, and I followed, sitting down on my makeshift bed and almost immediately drifting off.

Morning sunlight streamed through the trees and fell in watery pools of gold on the ground, forcing us all awake. I sat up groggily, rolling my blankets up before stretching and whistling for Lola, half hoping she wouldn't come. Lulu and Rikku followed suit, and Minnie, Rainbow, and Lola came bounding toward us.

Yuna and Tidus led the procession as we all mounted our chocobos, and I caught sight of Rikku winking at me and making her hands into a heart. I rolled my eyes teasingly, falling back to where I normally walked with Auron, and willed Lola to be good this once.

"Where to next?" I asked after a couple of moments.

"Gagazet," he answered frankly. "We'll cross the mountains, and then we will be in Zanarkand."

"Where Yuna will get the Final Aeon?"

"If she chooses."

"You mean it's not mandatory?" I asked. Auron seemed to think how to word his answer for a couple of moments.

"A summoner has never refused to summon the Final Aeon. As far as we know, it is the only way to defeat Sin." His tone suggested that he disagreed, that he might know another way, and for a moment I considered asking him about it. Auron glanced at me, though, as if knowing what I was thinking, and his expression was enough to keep me silent.

We trekked for a little more, finally reaching the outskirts of the Calm Lands, where we all dismounted from our chocobos. We began to continue forward on foot, but two Guado appeared out of the tunnel in front of Yuna and Tidus, walking at the front.

"Halt!" one of them commanded, an older, more stooped man. Almost involuntarily, the guardians stopped. "Summons from Lord Seymour. Come with us!"

"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour!" Yuna retorted, her voice ringing out over the space between us and them.

"Yeah, so out of our way!" Tidus interrupted, stepping forward.

"Lord Seymour's commands must be obeyed! You will _come_!" the older Guado rasped, and the younger one turned away from us with a leer.

"I warn you, the Maester doesn't need you alive," he said in a dangerous voice. As he spoke, the ground beneath my feet shook, and a rhythmic pounding echoed in my eardrums.

"Get back," Auron murmured, stepping forward. I obliged, retreating a little and feeling my eyes widen in awe as a huge creature appeared from the valley, seemingly made of stone and with tiny, beady black eyes. "Hastega," the guardian said to Tidus, who obeyed without question. We were all used to Auron more or less controlling the battles, and didn't ask how he always knew.

Auron stepped forward, waiting as the blitzer finished the spell, and then ran forward with purple tendrils of magic snaking around his sword, which exploded into tiny fragments as he plunged the blade into the huge creature's body. It slumped for a moment, and then straightened and aimed a punch back at Auron, who only turned and sliced into its arm with barely enough force to block the strike. He retreated back to me and exhaled, turning and saying quietly, "Use your daggers for this one. Your gloves won't do much damage, and that puts you too close to him anyway. If you can, try some black magic." I nodded, taking the throwing knife that he had given me from my bag and turning it over in my hands.

Lulu cast Watera, and Tidus ran forward at the same time, doubling her damage with his Brotherhood. As soon as he was backing up, I threw my knife and inwardly sighed in relief as it hit home--right into the beast's neck. It was one of the only vulnerable places that I could hit, with my skill, and nodded at Lulu as she returned the dagger.

With the combined efforts of every guardian, the creature began to get weaker, its punches easier to block, and we were soon using half the amount of Phoenix Downs we originally had been using. Finally, it protected itself in every possible way at the exact moment Auron used his Armor Break, and Wakka cursed under his breath beside me.

I threw my dagger, but it had a noticeably smaller affect, as did every other attack. Finally, though, the beast the Guado had summoned collapsed, and they were nowhere to be found.

"Cowards," Wakka muttered. "Think they can come and mess with us, then just…run off."

"Well, that's Guado!" Rikku said with a shrug. "I guess we keep going." Yuna passed out potions, nodding, and then began walking into the tunnel where the Guado had appeared from, ignoring the small path leading down into the valley. She stopped, however, just before walking into the darkness. Her guardians went ahead, knowing that Yuna had stopped because she knew she would not see the Calm Lands this way again.

x.X.x

**Ketsuko Kyo** **gave some good suggestions for this chapter, so thank them for the quick update!  
**

**I thought about splitting this chapter into two pieces, but I couldn't find a good place to do that, and I just didn't want to...sorry about the long-ness.  
**

**I love imagining Lola as a big, dumb, happy chocobo. Like those Golden Retrievers you see walking down the biking/walking trail with logs as big as their heads clamped in their mouths, just looking as happy as ever. I've even seen a couple carrying rocks, looking so proud of themselves XD**

**I'm a dog person ;)  
**

**SO there's a new poll on my page about this story, and I'd appreciate it if you'd check it out. I just want to know everyone's opinion in a nice, orderly fashion. (there's my OCD kicking in ^^) **

**There wasn't MUCH AuronAey in this chapter, BUT Gagazet and Zanarkand are hopefully going to be very mooshy-ness-filled. I mean, Auron's remembering what happened to him with Yunalesca, what happened to Braska and Jecht, he's SEEING images of himself in the dome where they fight Yunalesca...**

**It's gonna be fun =D**

**Domo! (Japanese)  
**


	19. Sacred Mountain Gagazet

**Hey everyone! We are here, with chapter 19 of Carpe Diem: the EPIC SEYMOUR FLUX BATTLE. *cue horror movie scream* Complete with a couple of mushy moments! But if that's not enough for you, don't worry: there'll be plenty of that in Zanarkand and with Mrs. Yunalesca the Sadist. **

**It's SUNDAY NIGHT, and you know what that means?**

**MONDAY TOMORROW. WHOOOO HOOOO.**

**...**

**Not. **

**ANYWAY, thanks to...**

**Persephone89 (new reader!), Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira. Did I forget anyone? No? Good.**

**Don't own FFX. Do own Aey.**

**Read on!**

x.X.x**  
**

We walked along the trail, and I shivered once after twenty minutes. The temperature was rapidly dropping, and snowflakes began to swirl in front of our faces. I had been thankful for the sleeveless shirt and short, form-fitting blitzball shorts in Sanubia Desert, but not here. Not here, where the ground was freezing under my feet and I could barely see in front of me because of the steam my breath produced, not to mention the snowflakes that were rapidly growing thicker.

Auron glanced over and sighed, and I looked back.

"You'd be c-cold, too," I said through slightly chattering teeth.

"If I were foolish enough to wear something like that, I might be," he answered. "However, I'm not."

"Well, f-fine. I'm not used to this, y-you know."

"What's the lowest temperature you've ever felt?"

"Probably…" I thought for a moment. The coldest place I had ever been was in the sphere pool. The heater had broken, we were playing the championship game, and--to top it all off--it was one of Luca's coldest winters. I remembered the game vividly. "Probably around f-fifty seven, fifty-eight d-degrees [around 14 degrees Celsius]."

"So nothing compared to this," Auron clarified, and I nodded, rubbing my upper arms in a fruitless attempt to warm myself up. He shook his head, sighing again, and shed his thick red coat, passing it to me. It was, obviously, too big, but I bunched the fabric up around me and sighed in relief. "Better?" Auron asked with a raised eyebrow, and I nodded.

"Much." I almost immediately stopped shivering, every inch of skin almost completely covered by the coat. "How did you survive in Sanubia Desert, anyway? With this thing…"

"Am I not allowed to take it off?" he asked skeptically. I almost laughed to myself, realizing that I never really imagined Auron without his trademark red cloak.

"I suppose. But still, you were wearing black underneath it, so…" I trailed off, shrugging, and Auron laughed once.

"A little heat never killed anyone," he said nonchalantly.

"More than a little cold did," I answered, my gaze falling on one of the grave markers scattered through the mountain where summoners had died, and we weren't even at the base of Gagazet yet. Auron nodded somberly.

After a moment, he looked up with raised eyebrows and said to me, "Do you have any idea why Rikku keeps laughing every time she looks over?" I glanced at Rikku, whose eyes were darting to Auron and I every now and then. Every time they did, she broke down into silent giggles, one hand sealing her mouth shut, and I smiled slightly before rolling my eyes at the Al Bhed, who waved back. I shrugged at Auron.

"No idea." The guardian raised his eyebrows, but nodded and let the subject drop. I turned away, feeling blood rushing to my cheeks, and pulled my hair down to hide it. Rikku, standing on my other side a little ways away, laughed and mimicked me, slapping her hands over her face to hide her imaginary blush. I sighed, smiling slightly, and rolled my eyes.

"Look," Auron murmured after a moment, and I followed his gaze to an archway that was quickly coming up over the horizon. "Not far now." I nodded, and as we reached the base of the mountain, Kimahri looked up with a growl.

Biran leapt off the side of the mountain, baring his teeth angrily, and Kimahri sunk halfway into a defensive crouch, his lance held tightly. I looked up, seeing in my peripheral vision Kelk Ronso coming forward. I had seen him at Via Purifico as well, and couldn't help a flash of anger for the Maester that had held Yuna's trial. He had two or three other Ronso trailing behind him, each glaring at us through slit eyes.

"Summoner Yuna and guardians!" Kelk thundered, taking a step forward. Like shadows, the others mirrored his movements. "Leave here at once! Gagazet is Ronso land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels!" Every guardian tensed, awaiting the summoner's response.

"Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso! Leave, traitors!" Biran bellowed, and Kimahri stepped forward to place himself between Yuna and the other Ronso.

"I have cast aside Yevon!" Yuna exclaimed suddenly, stepping toward Kelk. "I follow the temple no more!"

"Then you will _die _by those words!" Kelk roared.

"So be it." Yuna's voice was suddenly calm and controlled, but no less loud. "Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"

"Nothing but a bunch of low-down tricksters, ya?" Wakka asked loudly.

"Yeah!" Tidus agreed, coming to the blitzer's side. "Yeah!" Rikku nodded, repeating his words.

"We have no regrets." Yuna said coldly, staring up with grim determination at Kelk Ronso.

"Blasphemers!" Yenke suddenly snarled, just as Kimahri ran forward. The considerably larger Ronso stepped in front of the smaller one, and for a moment the two did nothing, staring at each other for what seemed like years.

"A summoner and her guardians…" Kelk began, looking over us.

"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may," Lulu interrupted suddenly, and returned my look of surprise with a nod. "Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"

"But still, you guard Gagazet as a Ronso, not as a Maester," Auron finished emotionlessly. "Yuna is much the same." Biran grunted his disagreement, pulling his lips back to show his teeth to both guardians.

"Elder Kelk!" he growled. "Let Biran rend them asunder!" Yenke, still facing off against Kimahri, walked to his side and leered at the guardians.

"No escape!" he taunted. "Not one!"

"We will not flee," Yuna said suddenly, her voice almost wavering. "We will fight, and continue on."

"You have been branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin?" Kelk asked, genuine curiosity in his rough voice. "Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet you continue your pilgrimage? Everything lost! What do you fight for?"

"I…" Yuna began, looking down for a moment. After a second, she glanced back up and said confidently, "I fight for Spira. The people long for the Calm. I can give it to them." She paused, taking a deep breath. "It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain…" Yuna hesitated, shaking her head. "This I can do."

"Even sacrificing yourself?" Kelk asked, and this time there was no curiosity in his voice. He sighed wearily, beginning to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "Ronso, let them pass!" Kelk roared, turning back to the summoner. "Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger than steel. Tempered steel that even the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend." He took a step forward. "Yuna, we bow to your will! Now go!" The Maester spread his arms in a gesture of welcome. "The sacred heights of Gagazet welcome you."

Yuna bowed, saying in a voice full of emotion, "We thank you." Kelk nodded and turned away, disappearing into the snow, and the guardians started forward.

All but one. As Lulu, Wakka, Kimahri, Tidus, Yuna, and Rikku disappeared slowly up the mountain, Auron stood in front of the archway and stared up at it, his gaze always returning to one lone notch near the bottom of it, only around five inches off the ground. I walked up beside him, looking at it as well, and waited.

"Ten years ago, I looked up at Gagazet from where we stand now," he murmured finally. "All I could think about was how I might keep Braska alive."

"What are you thinking now?" I asked quietly, looking up at the arch.

"Does it matter?"

"To me."

Auron glanced down at me for a moment, and I met his gaze before he looked away, back at the arch marking the path up the mountain.

"I'm wondering how to keep a promise. Wondering if I even can."

"Promise?" I asked almost inaudibly.

"To Braska…to Jecht."

I nodded, looking up as snowflakes began to drift down and hearing Auron sigh beside me. I glanced sideways at him, seeing the guardian close his good eye for a moment, and reached down to interlace my fingers in his. He kept his eyes closed for a couple of seconds more, then began walking forward with a sigh. "We need to catch up."

As we started up the path, sounds of a fight were carried back to us on the wind, and Auron involuntarily sped up, pulling me with him.

"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke jeered as we got to the rest of the group, releasing each other's hands almost immediately.

"Biran rend you asunder!" Biran called, growling. Kimahri charged forward with his lance out, and the fight between them began. Neither Biran nor Yenke showed any mercy, and soon the strain of fighting both of them at once nearly forced the smaller Ronso to his knees. He grunted and stood straighter, charging forward and catching an unprepared Yenke's ribs with his lance. The Ronso went down on one knee, breathing heavily, and Kimahri seemed to be filled with new energy. He turned to Biran, nimbly dodging the other's attack, and slammed into him. Biran growled, hitting the ground with a dull _thud, _and Kimahri stood up, bracing his lance in the snow to keep himself upright.

Biran pushed himself up, a faint smile in his catlike face. "Strong is Kimahri," he rasped. "Biran is happy." Then he turned, and yelled in a echoing voice, "Sacred Mount Gagazet! I honor the name of strong warrior who defeats Biran. Remember always, Gagazet! That name is Kimahri!"

"Mountain knows Kimahri strong. Kimahri may pass," Yenke said with finality.

"Summoner!" Biran exclaimed, and Yuna turned to him. "We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple!"

"Truly?" Yuna asked, folding her hands in front of her chest. "Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn, long ago," Biran rumbled, and nodded as Yenke said, "We crush enemies following behind."

"Kimahri crush enemies standing before," Kimahri finished, nodding.

"You are most fortunate summoner," Biran said. "Ronso will shine your statue brightest!"

"I thank you," Yuna said with a smile. "But…I fear no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am."

"Then Ronso will make!" Biran thundered, as if aghast that Yuna could even suggest there being no statue for her.

"With grand horn on head!" Yenke interjected.

"That…would be wonderful." Yuna's smile was back, and she bowed before walking away. We continued up the path as both Ronso disappeared back over the cliffs lining it, and I fell into step next to Auron, lingering at the back of the group as always. He was staring up at the top of the mountain, his good eye blank and his mind somewhere far away. It wasn't the usual focused, calculating, hard expression he usually wore, but something very different.

At least ten minutes later, Yenke's deep voice sounded again, and Auron snapped out of his reverie.

"Summoner Yuna!" he called, and I heard Tidus mutter, "What is it this time?"

The Ronso all leapt down from the cliff face, walking forward, and both Biran and Yenke began to sing the Hymn of the Fayth. Soon, the whole Ronso tribe joined in, and it was this song that filled the air around us as we started up Mount Gagazet.

The paths were long and winding, covered in ice and easy to slip on. For the most part, though, the snow crunched underfoot, and with every step I sunk in it up to my ankle. Within twenty minutes, one thing became clear: blitzers, cold, and mountains did not mix well.

I fell into step beside Lulu, deciding to leave Auron uninterrupted for now, and briefly considered getting his coat back. I had returned it to him when I was warm, but now it didn't seem like such a good idea.

"Cold?" the black mage asked, and I shrugged, nodding. "Now might be a good time to practice some black magic, don't you think? A little fire, maybe some thunder…" I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"Or you could just use Firaga and keep us all warm for the rest of the journey," I teased, and she chuckled.

"That would hardly be useful. I might end up melting Gagazet."

I laughed, shrugging, and we kept going in silence for a little while. Soon, we reached a small path winding off to the side, with a flash of blue hidden in the shadows.

"Look!" Rikku said, darting into the little path and grabbing the sphere. She came back out and handed it to Yuna, and I heard Auron sigh on my other side.

"Braska made that," he murmured to me. I looked up at the guardian for a moment, then turned my attention to the sphere. Yuna gasped softly as the image of her father floated in the air, Auron and Jecht pacing restlessly in the background.

"Hello, Yuna," Braska said with a small smile. "I hope you are well. I wonder how old you are, now that you're watching this sphere. You must be very beautiful, like your mother." He stopped, sighing. "I wish I could see you." Braska turned, looking at Auron and Jecht, who now seemed to be arguing good-naturedly, and chuckled to himself. "By the way, Jecht and Auron send their regards. So far, our journey has been very…entertaining." Braska laughed to himself again. "Of course, it is a hard journey, but I have no regrets. It is the path I have chosen." He stopped, the good humor gone from his face as he said somberly, "Yuna, when you have grown, you will have to find your own path. Do what you must do, the way you want to do it. Doors will always open themselves to those who do. Listen close." Braska paused, looking directly at the camera now. "Your future is yours to make. Live the way you want to. Whatever way that may be, you have your father's full support. Yuna…I will always be with you." He approached the camera, switching it off, and Yuna bowed her head, taking the sphere and standing with a sad smile.

Without a word, she began to walk up the path again, and we followed. Tidus caught up to the summoner, but did nothing except walk silently next to her. I stayed beside Lulu, talking quietly about anything, anything but Zanarkand. Blitzball, magic, shoopufs, chocobos, spheres--anything but the Final Aeon.

We soon came to a snowy ledge protruding off the side of the mountain, and there both Rikku and Tidus slowed, beginning to talk as the others went on ahead. I looked back, but shrugged and concerned myself more with the task ahead, and the cave that I knew rested at the top of the mountain.

Suddenly, Rikku's shriek echoed in the air, and there was a commotion down on the ledge. Yuna stopped and turned, just as the Al Bhed came pounding up the path. Her eyes were wild as she gasped, "Yunie! It's Seymour! He's…he's…" she stopped for breath, taking in a huge lungful of air. "Come on!" Rikku raced back down, the other guardians close behind, and as we skidded onto the ledge, Seymour looked up.

"Lady Yuna," he purred. "It is a pleasure."

"Yuna!" I called, motioning for her to send him. She nodded, raising her staff, and Seymour raised his eyebrows innocently. He looked sallow and unhealthy, his eyes wild and his robes hanging limply off his now-bony frame.

"A sending?" he asked. "So soon?" Yuna narrowed her eyes, and Seymour smirked. "Very well. Allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave." It took a moment for the full implications of his words to hit me, and I could do nothing but stare as the Maester kept speaking. "Your was...truly a gallant race," he said, shaking his head in mock sadness. "They threw themselves at me to bar my path…" Seymour raised his arm, curling his fingers as he continued evilly, "One…after…another."

"No," Kimahri growled, bowing his head. Seymour laughed coldly.

"Kimahri…" Yuna murmured, taking a step forward.

"You could end the suffering of this poor Ronso," the Maester said to her, still smirking. Yuna whipped around, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I don't understand you!" she yelled, the tears spilling over and running silently down her cheeks.

"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain," Seymour explained harshly, without a trace of sympathy. "Spira…" he began in a more relaxed tone, "is a land of suffering, and sorrow, caught in a spiral of death. To destroy--to heal--Spira, I will become Sin." He looked at Yuna, holding his hand out. "Yes, with your help. Come with me, Yuna." The summoner said nothing, and Seymour turned to Tidus. "Once I have become the next Sin, your father will be freed again," he murmured, and Tidus opened his mouth to reply, closed it again, and looked down at the ground.

"What do you know?" the blitzer muttered in an undertone, shuffling his feet. Then he looked up, raising his sword again, and ran toward Seymour with more vigor than I had ever seen in the young foreigner. The Maester smiled, beginning to raise into the air with a monstrous, demonic creature behind him. I watched, my hands tightening into fists as Seymour merged with it, and a cruel laugh echoed around the mountain.

"Pitiful mortal," he leered. "Your hope ends here…and your meaningless existence with it!" Seymour rose into the air, and almost immediately Tidus cast Hastega, giving each guardian the familiar adrenaline-high that made our reflexes faster and our energy boundless. Auron jerked his head at Lulu, then ran forward and spun in the air, his katana cleaving through Seymour's defenses just as the black mage cast Bio. Seymour was poisoned, the effects of the venom already becoming visible through his pallid skin, but laughed all the same as Auron attacked again.

As they were exchanging blows, Lulu and Yuna switched places, and now the summoner called Valefor as Auron ran back to his place. As soon as the aeon had appeared, it used its Overdrive, and was immediately banished by the Maester. Still, the Energy Ray had done a good deal of damage, but Seymour wasn't going down without a fight.

I threw both of my knives in quick succession, nodding my gratitude to Lulu as she returned them, and did the same thing over and over again. To my pleasant surprise, I seemed to have gotten minutely better at throwing, and was able to hit more often and harder than I had before.

Yuna summoned Ifrit next, having taken the time to get all of her aeons into Overdrive. She has been "saving them for a rainy day," as Rikku put it, but now I was unthinkably glad that she had. When Yuna had expended every single one of them, we had no choice but to go back into battle. Auron ran forward again, attacking over and over as I threw my knives and Lulu cast her most powerful spells, and together we began to slowly wear him down.

Inevitably, though, Seymour cast Protect on himself, and now the only thing capable of doing any sort of damage was Lulu's magic. Even as she attacked, though, he twirled his fingers in a familiar way, and the Curaga spell restored him almost back to normal.

"Dammit," I heard Tidus mutter behind me. "We've got to cast Reflect…" I nodded.

"But then we can hardly attack at all, what with Protect…" I answered in a low voice.

"What about Dispel?"

"Has Yuna learned it?"

"Not sure."

My attention was jerked back to Seymour as he let loose a Flare spell, forcing every guardian fighting nearest to him to their knees. Yuna didn't hesitate, backing up and quickly healing every one while being partly shielded by Kimahri and Lulu. Auron was the first to stand, racing forward and sinking his blade deep into the main body of Seymour, who cast Reflect on himself as soon as the guardian had run back.

"That solves that problem," I muttered to Tidus, who nodded and suddenly raced forward, hitting Seymour as hard as he could with Brotherhood. I threw my knives again, seeing Lulu looking quite unhappy about her inability to use magic in my peripheral vision, and inwardly wondered how we were possibly going to win this.

Seymour laughed cruelly, casting Reflect on Yuna now and bouncing his Curaga spell off of her and onto him.

"No!" she screamed, waving her staff and casting Dispel.

"Now, Lulu!" Auron yelled, and the mage cast as many spells as she could before Seymour restored Reflect on himself with a murderous glance at the summoner. Then a slow smile spread across his face, and for the next couple of minutes he did nothing. "Be careful," Auron murmured. Then, in a louder voice, "Yuna. Cast Shell, then Protect. As much as you can." The summoner nodded fearfully, her eyes darting to Seymour as she concentrated, and Auron dipped his head. Yuna took a deep breath, casting Shell on each guardian and finally herself, and then starting on Protect.

I tensed as Seymour opened his eyes, and Auron moved in front of Yuna, standing in a defensive stance and obviously prepared to do whatever it took to defend his summoner. Seymour grinned evilly, and then raised his hands as he began to emit a faint light.

Then, all at once, red light streamed out from the Maester's body, incinerating the snow around him and pushing all of us to the ground. I gasped, dropping my knives, and knew that without Shell we would all be dead.

Seymour laughed again, and I began to pull myself up, only to have my arms give out and force me back down. Yuna, luckily, had been shielded by both Lulu and Kimahri, and stumbled into a standing position. I opened my eyes as she summoned Shiva with the last of her strength, and I thanked Yevon that she had had the foresight to save this last aeon. Shiva spun in the air, layering thick shards of ice in an unbreakable mass on Seymour, and with a snap of her fingers she shattered it. Splinters of ice flew everywhere, many of them hitting the guardians and summoner, but Seymour took most of the attack. Shiva bounded forward in a fluid leap and delivered a roundhouse kick, sapping the last of the Maester's strength, and as the aeon left the battlefield he exploded, disappearing into the sky. Yuna swayed and fell, and that was the last I saw.

x.X.x

**Ooh, cliffie! I haven't done that in awhile...kind of...**

**Remember: there's a poll on my page that I'd REALLY appreciate if you took. All it takes is a couple of clicks, some thinking, and BAM. A happy TwiliPrincess.**

**Sorry if I disappointed you/unpleasantly surprised you with the amount of AuronAey in this chapter. Just let me know to tone it down, turn it up, or whatever else~! (Oh, and I think I might have gone a little fast on the Seymour fight. I'd be glad to edit it if there's something that's REALLY annoying you)  
**

**TEEHEE ICHIGO JUST KICKED THE...the...EXECUTION THINGIE'S BOOTIE! AND RUKIA AND RENJI ARE ADORKABLE!**

**XD I love Urahara...in Kon's Radio Show, he's like, "Oh, I've seen parts of her [Yoruichi] BEYOND naked!" XDDD**

**ANYWAY, thanks everyone for replying! Happy Mother's Day!**

**Toda! (Hebrew)**


	20. Ghost of the Past

**OH YEAH. CHAPTER 20 IS_ HERE._ THE CHAPTER WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: MUSHYNESS. That's right, I said it: mushy, gushy, cutesy, epic awesomeness. Combined with the fact that I'm listening to I Don't Want to Be in Love (Good Charlotte), and I think this chapter turned out pretty well. Don't expect anything, because you're either going to be REALLY surprised or REALLY disappointed.**

**EVERYBODY! PUT UP YOUR HANDS! SAY I DON'T WANNA BE IN LOVE, I DON'T WANNA BE IN LOVE! 3333**

**Okay, I'm good now. But I just finished the last project of the year (which was an art project~), and I spent about an hour straight dancing around to my favorite songs with a paintbrush and pastels in my hands. And the project turned out pretty darn great, if I do say so myself ;)**

**Best night ever.**

**ANYWAY, thanks to the usual readers, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! HAVE FUN READING! WOOT WOOT! (SAY I DON'T WANNA BE IN LOVE, I DON'T WANNA BE IN LO-OVE~!)**

**Disclaimer: Boo.**

**x.X.x  
**

"She's not awake yet…"

"Neither is Rikku. Or Wakka, for that matter."

"Yes, but she was near the front! Almost right behind Sir Auron!"

"She'll survive, Yuna."

"I wish I shared your confidence."

The voices blurred together until I could make no more sense of them, and I forced my eyelids open. Yuna's blue-and-green eyes darted to me, and she broke into a relieved smile. "You're awake!"

"Nice nap?" Tidus asked with a laugh, and I smiled as well as possible.

"Too short," I answered in a hoarse voice, and he chuckled. I began to sit up, but closed my eyes and felt my eyebrows knit together, bracing my hand against the ground to hold myself up.

"Stay there," Yuna said worriedly. "I think we have a couple of potions left." She stood and half-jogged, half-walked away as Tidus turned to me.

"Everyone else is pretty much okay except Rikku and Wakka. I think they'll be fine, but they're just unconscious. You and Auron were the nearest to Seymour, but he probably shrugged off the magic like it was nothing." Tidus shrugged, and I partly nodded. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I just got hit with an unsent Maester's spell," I muttered, and he chuckled.

"Fair enough." Tidus looked up, and I followed his gaze to Wakka, who was slowly pushing himself up with a groan.

"That was some attack, ya?" he asked blearily, rubbing his neck and muttering, "Gaahh, my neck hurts…"

"You okay, Wakka?" Tidus called, and the blitzer looked up.

"I'm good," he answered, and then looked at the Al Bhed to his left. "Not sure 'bout Rikku, though. She took a beatin', ya?" Tidus nodded, turning and raising his eyebrows at me in surprise at Wakka's concern for her. I mirrored his movements, nodding minutely, and sighed in relief as Yuna handed me a potion.

"Go ahead and drink it all," she said absently. "We'll buy more later." I downed the whole vial, closing my eyes and shuddering. I felt better, but not by much. I certainly didn't want to stand up and walk around, much less climb the rest of Mount Gagazet, but I could try if I had to.

Rikku stirred, then, and sat up with a, "Where's Yunie?" Then she swayed and put her hands to her head with a groan, and Yuna hurried over and passed her a potion.

"I'm fine," the summoner said quickly. "Don't move yet." Rikku nodded weakly, drinking the potion and letting herself fall back down to the ground. Yuna looked up, her brow creasing.

"What is it?" Tidus asked, cocking his head to one side and walking over.

"We can't get up the mountain and expect her to walk," Yuna said softly, then added as an afterthought, "And it probably wouldn't be good to expect Aey to travel on foot either."

"So…" Tidus began. "You want to get chocobos or something?"

"Maybe some of the other guardians could carry them."

"You were planning on getting our consent, weren't you?" I called with a wry smile, turning my head towards the summoner with a raised eyebrow. She chuckled.

"Of course."

"Well, I don't care _who _carries me, as long as it doesn't have to be myself," Rikku interjected, some of her old spirit leaking into her swirling irises. I smiled.

"Kimahri?" Yuna called, and the Ronso looked over with his arms still folded across his chest. "We need to get moving soon, so do you think you could…?" She gestured at Rikku, and he hesitated, finally nodding and walking forward to scoop Rikku up easily. Yuna nodded her gratitude, and then turned her head toward Auron. He, of course, had almost completely recovered from the attack, and was probably the only other option for the long trek up Gagazet while carrying another guardian. Still, I had no idea how to act as he paused, nodded once, and walked forward impassively to pick me up the same way Kimahri had taken Rikku. "Right, then," Yuna said in a determined voice. "Let's go."

We started walking, our pace set much slower than usual. However, some guardians had fared better than others, and so the group was _much _more spread out as we trekked. Ahead, Yuna and Tidus were only just visible through the snow.

Auron was completely silent, and it wasn't until I shifted again ten minutes later that he spoke.

"Uncomfortable?" he asked impassively, still staring straight ahead.

"Not really. Kind of cold," I answered nonchalantly. Actually, I was very comfortable, but Auron's constantly reserved nature made me want to _do _something. He sighed.

"I take it you want to ask for my coat again?" the guardian asked with sarcastic undercurrent in his voice. I laughed once and nodded.

"Please."

He chuckled dryly, shifting and setting me on the ground for a moment as he shed his coat and passed it over. I took it unsteadily, almost unthinkingly grabbing his wrist for support, and shoved my arms through the sleeves. Auron raised an eyebrow, and then picked me up again, continuing up the path.

"What was your first impression of Gagazet?" I asked thoughtfully after a couple of minutes of silence. Auron seemed to think for a moment.

"Bigger than I had imagined. I didn't trust the Ronso, either," he answered. "I remember thinking how cold Jecht must have been, wearing nothing but his shorts. I admired him for not complaining, though."

"Like me," I said with a laugh.

"Like you," Auron agreed, smirking. "You don't seem to have a very high tolerance for cold."

"I do a lot better in the heat," I answered, shrugging. "Or, better yet, in the water."

"Mm." He paused. "Speaking of which, you don't seem to have made much progress in convincing Lulu about the beauty of blitzball."

"I haven't. She just flat out refuses to try it."

"And your black magic?"

"Same as ever. By the way, did Jecht ever try to explain blitz to you?"

"I knew all about it. Jecht _did _attempt to get me to play a game or two, in the same way he forced me onto a chocobo. Blitzball was something I never gave in to, though he was…persistent." I chuckled.

"What was your second impression of Gagazet?" I asked suddenly.

"This time, I looked at it much…differently. You could say I was reminiscing."

"About…?" I prodded.

"Our journeys." Auron said no more, so I tried a different subject.

"What was your first impression of…blitzball?" He looked down at me, and I shrugged. "Well, you're not giving me much to work with."

"Did anyone say we had to have conversation?"

"Sure. I did." Auron chuckled once, shaking his head, and then looked up and thought for a couple of moments.

"Blitzball was--to me--two teams trying to kill each other over a ball and a huge crowd of people cheering them on. It was as meaningless as chocobo-riding," he said finally, and I nodded, closing my eyes and pulling the coat up higher over my face against the biting wind.

"What made you change your mind about it?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled by the fabric.

"Two people. Jecht, who always talked about it as if it were Yevon himself, and you," Auron answered, and I looked up in surprise.

"Why me?"

"For one thing," he said impassively. "You're about as passionate as Jecht and Tidus combined. For another, I got to watch you play in Luca. The game itself was nothing new, but I had never thought of the sport as an opportunity to become friends with your teammates."

"Yeah, I suppose Jecht was kind of an independent player," I said, nodding as I closed my eyes again.

"The letter your brother sent you made a difference as well."

"Really? I was surprised he even took the time to send a letter," I answered with a chuckle. Auron gave a half-smile, and for a couple of moments more we were both silent. Finally, the guardian's voice sounded again, quieter.

"I never thought I would see this place again," he murmured, looking up at the peak of the mountain. "I'd almost forgotten it."

"What do you remember about it now?" I asked thoughtfully.

"How I kept asking Braska to turn back. How Jecht kept telling me to 'shut up.'" Auron shook his head. "But Braska never did. We stopped at one of the graves to record his sphere, and I remember thinking if there would be a grave that would have to be made for Braska. I vowed to myself that he wouldn't die, that I would protect him--whatever it took. But I didn't. There was nothing I could do, with Jecht gone, when he was killed."

"Where was Jecht?" I asked quietly. Auron said nothing for a moment.

"One guardian, as Yunalesca says, must be chosen to become the Final Aeon," he explained finally. I opened my eyes as Auron continued. "Jecht…he was the one that made that choice. Even if I had offered--and believe me, I did--Braska would have refused. 'You have your whole life ahead of you,' he'd say. 'Jecht does not. I will not doom him to a life he never wanted.' So I said nothing after that. And I lost the two people that were closest to me, one after another." Auron sighed, shaking his head. "Yuna is heading down the same path."

"I'm sorry," I said softly, pressing closer as well as I could and burying my face into his chest. Auron said nothing, but his arms tightened around me.

"Braska chose his path. It was his story to make, and not mine to try and change," he answered finally. "Even though I tried after he was gone."

We walked for a while more, but snowflakes began to swirl down thicker and faster, shards of ice and hail slicing through any exposed skin. The snow fell faster, making it almost impossible to see more than a couple of feet in front or us. Soon, a full-fledged blizzard was raging, and--though Auron was strong enough to stand it--Seymour's attack had weakened him as well, however minor. On top of his steps slowly becoming more labored, I felt stinging, ice-cold air rushing up the sleeves of his coat and snow melting on my fingers. The fabric was soon drenched with freezing snow-water and slush, from our combined body heat to the snowflakes that kept landing and melting on it, and I began shivering too hard to speak coherently.

Auron abruptly veered off the path, and I looked up, squinting through the splinters of ice at a patch of gray looming in front of us. It was a shallow cave, just barely sheltered by the wind, but clearly a fiend's den. It looked abandoned, and this was what Auron appeared to be making his way toward.

"If the others catch up, we'll be able to see them," he said over the wind, ducking into the shadows and setting me down. I pulled the coat tighter, despite the fact that it was now completely soaked and freezing in some places, just as Auron began to pull it away.

"What're y-you--" I began through chattering teeth, and he finally wrenched it out of my grasp.

"It will only make you colder," he interrupted, tossing it away and grabbing both of my hands in his. The guardian's skin was much warmer than mine, and I protested weakly as feeling returned to my fingers along with sharp, stabbing pain. I began to pull away, liking the numbness that had kept my hands from the cold. "Stop," Auron growled, shifting so that his back was to the wind and I was at his front, my hands still swallowed by his. As the sense of touch returned to my fingers and the pain was reduced to uncomfortable tingling, he looked up. "Move your hand," the guardian said with a single-minded intensity, drawing back and freeing my arms. I nodded, flexing my fingers woodenly, and he sat back, nodding.

I began to ask why we had stopped, but closed my mouth as I shivered violently, wrapping my arms around me and stuffing my hands underneath them. Auron was sitting with one knee drawn up, his elbow resting on it, and looked up at me. "We're here to rest before we keep going. The blizzard will only get worse, so the best thing we can do is wait it out," the guardian said emotionlessly, and I nodded through chattering teeth and leaned back against the cave wall. I pulled my knees up next to my chest, curling almost into a ball, and began to let my eyes drift closed. "Make sure you wake up," Auron murmured, just as I slipped off into sleep.

I didn't want to open my eyes. That was just about the only thought in my mind as I dreamt. The world outside was cold, harsh, dangerous, and I would have preferred to stay in my own mind, where there was no hunger or cold or pain. No one got out of life alive, anyway.

"Aey." There was that voice again. It spoke every now and then: always right when I was about to recede into my mind, recede and be too far away to come back. I ignored it, annoyed that it kept me from peace. "Wake up." I felt cold air blowing over me, and I shivered and shrank back. Anything but the cold.

At that same moment, a hand rested heavily on my shoulder, shaking me. I feebly cringed away, just as I was pulled the opposite direction and into rough folds of fabric. "_Aey._" The voice was more forceful this time, and my eyelids crept open. I looked up, and thought I heard a sigh of relief. "I thought I told you to make sure you woke up," Auron said stonily, and I realized that I was pressed up against him and answering in a rasping voice, "I did."

He raised an eyebrow, and I gasped as the ground disappeared from under me.

"We need to go, then." He began to make for the cave entrance, and I shivered and buried my face into his chest. Suddenly, the guardian's voice was softer.

"Here," he said quietly, somehow taking off his coat while holding me with one arm and handing it to me. "It's dry now." I pulled it on, curling up and wrapping the fabric as tightly as I could around myself, and Auron started walking again. "We're almost there," he murmured, and I nodded and slipped my hand into his just as I dropped off into sleep once more.

**x.X.x**

**So those two-line breaks were like...time passing. Y'know? Oh, and thanks to Yuki for suggestions.  
**

**So...how 'bout them apples? Too much romance? Too little? WHADDAYA WANT FROM ME?**

**Sorry. Still in a "good" mood. (SAY I DON'T WANNA BE IN LOVE, I DON'T WANNA BE IN LOVE~!)**

**If the romance is good, tell me! If it needs more, tell me! And TAKE THAT DURN QUIZ ON MY PAGE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!**

***Ahem* Demanding much? ^^**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next stop: TEH CAVE.  
**


	21. Zanarkand Pt 1: Journeying Blind

**Hellooooo everyone! I was rereading a bit, and I'll TRY for more Auron/Aey in this chapter. Suggestions are greatly appreciated, as always. **

**Ugh. My iPod is being snarky, but I just put Owl City's Ocean Eyes and a bunch of the Goo Goo Dolls singles on it. I swear the Goo Goo Dolls are the best band in the WORLD. Every single one of their songs is like, "*_* THIS IS AMAZING." **

**ANYWAY, thanks to the usual people, and enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Snarky is actually a word. It means something along the lines of rebellious and annoying.**

**x.X.x  
**

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"But Sir Auron--"

"Rikku isn't awake either, is she?"

"No, I suppose not…but Aey was hit harder with Seymour's attack than Rikku!"

"Aey is fine." I felt myself behind moved, and I instinctively tensed, fingers tightening as my mind began to function. "Wake up," Auron said quietly, and I opened my eyes and sat up slowly, feeling almost refreshed. My hand was still in his, and he stood and pulled me up with him. "Feeling better?" Auron asked, and I nodded.

"Much." I looked around, and saw that we had stopped in a small clearing with unnaturally bright light shining over the horizon to the west. Wakka and Lulu were each sitting on a couple of boulders, and Rikku, Kimahri, Yuna, and Tidus were in the center of the clearing. The young Al Bhed girl was still unconscious, but I guessed that Kimahri's huge frame and thick fur had done much too keep her from the cold.

She stirred, sitting up slowly and looking blearily around. Rikku's eyes brightened when she saw Yuna, and she stood and stretched.

"Thanks, Kimahri!" Rikku said, her usual bouncy manner back, and bounded over to give the Ronso a hug. He looked awkward, and relieved when she pulled away. Yuna chuckled.

"Are we ready now?" she asked, now that everyone was standing. Her guardians nodded, and we kept walking. I stayed next to Auron, just because I might have to give his coat back, but our journey through the mountain seemed to have changed the way he looked at me, because now the ever-silent guardian was talking. Granted, the times he spoke were few and far between, but he still looked at me and murmured a few words here and there, perhaps about Braska's pilgrimage or quietly answering my questions.

"What did you like best about Jecht?" I asked, spontaneously keeping the conversation going. Auron laughed once, shaking his head.

"I'll need some time to think on that," he said wryly, and I chuckled.

"I'll wait."

Auron sighed, looking up as he thought. "I liked his…resilience. How easygoing he was around Braska. I envied that I couldn't be the same way, but I had been raised differently. I liked how he was an open book: if Jecht was angry, everyone knew." I laughed.

"Wish I could have met him. What about Braska?"

"Braska was…much like Yuna. He was strong, but not hard. He would do whatever he could to help anyone, and always had a soft spot for children. I enjoyed that a lot as well." Auron was quiet, lost in thought, and I nodded, just as we came up on Yuna and Tidus stopped at an overhang that looked out over Gagzet and the Calm Lands. The guardian came up behind her.

"Yuna," he said emotionlessly, though it was clearly a question.

"He will become Sin…with my help," she murmured, almost to herself, speaking of Seymour. Auron hesitated, then said in a stronger voice, "Lies. Forget them." There was a pause.

"If he becomes Sin, Sir Jecht will be saved," the summoner said quietly, turning to face her most experienced guardian as the rest of the group began to catch up.

"We're leaving," Auron answered with finality, as much to Yuna as everyone else.

"You know something!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Tell me!" Auron was silent, and I glanced over. He met my gaze evenly, and then looked back as Tidus muttered, "Sin's…my old man."

"You hit your head?" Wakka exclaimed in surprise, and Tidus sighed.

"Sin is my old man," he answered. "My old man became Sin! I don't know how or why he did it… I felt him, inside, and when I did, I knew it was true." The blitzer hung his head. "My old man is Spira's suffering. Sorry."

"Even…" Yuna began hesitantly. "Knowing that Sin is your father… Still, you know, I must…" she trailed off, looking at Tidus, and he glanced up.

"I know," the blitzer said. "I know. Let's get him. I think my old man would want that."

"You'd fight your own father?" Lulu asked quietly.

"Yeah," Tidus answered with a humorless laugh. "Yeah, no problem there."

Uh…'bout your old man…" Wakka began, rubbing the back of his neck. "You sure this ain't some kinda bad toxin dream or something? Then, Chappu…" he hesitated, shaking his head in confusion. "I, uh…I think I'll just pretend I didn't hear nothing. I'm getting a little confused, ya?" He stopped, then said in a lower voice, "Why…why'd all this have to happen?"

"We'll learn when we arrive," Auron answered quietly. "Soon."

We kept walking, and soon arrived at a completely different area, with a pool to our left and a silver waterfall flowing down into it. To our right, bodies were piled up with expressions of terror on their faces, trapped behind a curtain of indigo mist.

"Wh-what are those?" Wakka asked, stepping back. Yuna glanced down.

"Those are the fayth," she said softly. Then she looked closer, and gasped. "A summoning! Someone is using these fayth! They're drawing energy from all of them!"

"This many?" Even Rikku looked awed, her eyes widening.

"But…who wields power on this scale, and what could they be calling?" Lulu asked in confusion, stepping forward. Rikku suddenly ran up to Auron and stood up on her tiptoes, saying impatiently, "Hey, you know something, don't you? Spill the beans!" Auron turned and walked to the edge of the path, looking out over the water.

"Look not to others for knowledge," he said to the Al Bhed girl. "This is your journey, too."

"Yunie might die, you know?" Rikku asked desperately. The guardian said no more, and Tidus spoke up.

"No…" he said slowly. "Auron's right. This is our…" he stopped, looking up fiercely and amending his statement. "This is my story." He stepped boldly up to the wall and brushed his hand against it, and as soon as he had, the blitzer collapsed.

"Tidus!" Yuna exclaimed, kneeling beside him.

"What--?" Rikku asked, squatting on his other side. I looked at Auron, but he said nothing.

"What happened?" I asked quietly. The guardian looked down at me.

"It is his choice whether he tells us or not," Auron murmured, just as Tidus suddenly stirred and sat up.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked, looking a little confused. The blitzer nodded.

"I…I'm okay," he said, shaking himself.

"What happened?" Yuna asked, her eyebrows knitting together, and he shrugged and said too quickly, "Nothing. I blacked out, I was dreaming. You called me, and I woke up." He sprang to his feet, stretching. "Nothing like a good nap!" the blitzer said hurriedly. "Well, I'm ready. Let's go!"

We kept walking, and after a couple of minutes Auron said quietly, "How are you?"

"I'm doing better," I answered with a shrug. "Not tired, anyway." I hid my surprise at his sudden concern, and he nodded and turned away. I smiled inwardly, abruptly interlacing my fingers in his, and was surprised when I thought I caught the smallest of smiles behind his high collar.

We soon reached the yawning mouth of a cave, and Yuna stopped.

"Everyone ready?" she asked, and her guardians nodded.

"Let's go!" Rikku exclaimed, grinning, and the summoner smiled.

"Alright, then. Let's go." She turned and disappeared into the darkness, and we followed soon after. It wasn't long before we reached a dead-end, and so Yuna doubled back and found another path--one that led into the water.

"Looks like we got a job to do, ya?" Wakka asked, and I nodded with a smile and a high-five to him.

"If anything should happen in the water, we're relying on you four. If it gets dangerous, pull out quick," Lulu said, looking at each of us. I nodded, winking at her, and she sighed playfully and rolled her eyes.

"Right!" Wakka said, nodding.

"Be careful, okay?" Yuna asked worriedly, her gaze lingering on Tidus. He nodded with a grin. I glanced at Auron almost involuntarily, and saw in his good eye that he was saying the same thing. I nodded, then turned and dove into the water with Wakka, Tidus, and Rikku.

We swam as quickly as we could, outrunning fiends and soon reaching a small hollow with multiple, glowing lights in each hole.

"Well…" Tidus began. "What do we do now?"

"Uhh…" Rikku answered, and then swam forward and hesitantly touched one of the lights. It flickered, and she shrugged. "How 'bout we just touch all the lights?"

"Sounds good," Tidus answered, swimming forward. Wakka and I did the same, and we all hesitated when the lights stopped glowing.

"We either did something way wrong or really right," I muttered, and Tidus laughed.

"Oh, well," he said good-naturedly. "Let's go back, I guess."

"Yep!" Rikku exclaimed, leading the way back to the group. Tidus hopped out of the water, shaking himself like a dog, with Wakka, Rikku and I close behind.

"Did you find anything?" Yuna asked, stepping forward.

"Yeah," Tidus answered, getting water out of his ears. "Bunch of lights. Rikku thought we should all just touch them, so we did." He shrugged, and the summoner nodded.

"Right, then," she said, turning away. "Let's keep going."

We kept walking, solved another puzzle, and soon arrived at the main path leading to the exit of the cave.

"Go ahead," Auron murmured to me, stopping when Yuna did and beginning to walk back to her. I nodded, beginning to walk away with the rest of the group while guardian and summoner spoke. The others were all gathered farther up the path; some were sitting, some standing. I sank onto the ground next to Lulu, who gave a coy smile.

"What exactly happened when you two were alone on Gagazet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing in Auron's direction, and I rolled my eyes.

"I was cold, he gave me his coat. I went to sleep: he wondered if I'd wake up. Happy?" I asked teasingly, lightly punching her shoulder. She chuckled.

"Give me the details later."

"You are such a gossip-addict. It's funny, because you don't seem like the type."

"Is that so?" the black mage asked absently. I laughed.

"Mm." Just then, Auron and Yuna walked up, and she nodded at her guardians with a vague, almost confused expression on her face.

"I suppose we…keep going," the summoner said slowly, looking preoccupied. We nodded, and I fell into step beside Auron with a questioning look up at him.

"I'll tell you later," he said quietly, turning to look back at the mountain once before speeding up and slowly pulling ahead of the group. Yuna followed at a more relaxed pace, and when we reached the guardian he was standing silently on a ledge, the glow of sunset on his face as he called, "It comes!"

Over the horizon came a huge creature, with feathery appendages curling from its back in a flowing mane and a huge, muscular body. "Yuna, Reflect," Auron said calmly, and she nodded without a word and obliged, taking the front line of battle with Tidus and Auron. "Grand Summon Bahamut,."

The summoner nodded, calling her most powerful aeon to perform Mega Flare, sending waves of power and heavy pieces of debris flying at the beast. It roared, and began to retaliate as Bahamut managed to get another attack in and then wheel and fly away. The Sanctuary Keeper growled, casting Curaga on itself, but--just like with Seymour Flux--the magic bounced off of it and hit Yuna. She smiled faintly as it swung its head side to side in anger, and Auron ran forward and stabbed upwards, right into the creature's throat. The guardian ducked as it tried to attack, making his way back to his original position, and now Lulu cast Bio. It swayed as the poison raced through its veins, growing weaker by the second, and now Tidus and Auron each attacked again in quick succession.

A couple more attacks, a few more aeons, and a switch or two from Yuna to me and Lulu, and the Sanctuary Keeper fell. Tidus grinned and gave the summoner a high five, and as we began to keep walking Rikku made a sound of protest.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "Can't we rest a little?"

"No need," Auron answered matter-of-factly. "We reach the summit soon."

"I know," the Al Bhed said with a shrug. "That's why I want to rest for a bit." She looked down at her feet suddenly, saying softly, "So that means…there's not much time left."

"Rikku…" Yuna began, looking as though she wanted to comfort her. Rikku sighed and looked up.

"Fine," she muttered. "I'll think on the way." I didn't know what this last statement meant, but I knew it had something to do with Yuna as the Al Bhed exchanged a glance with Tidus. We began to continue up the path, but Tidus stayed behind. He looked out over the mountain, eyes narrowed against the wind, and sighed.

"Hey!" Wakka called, walking over. "C'mon, let's go."

"We're almost there…aren't we?" the blitzer asked quietly.

"We've come a long way," Wakka answered somberly, nodding. Tidus turned, seeing Auron's half-smile.

"What's so funny?" he asked defensively.

"You remind me of myself," the guardian answered, shifting. "Before, the closer I came to Zanarkand, the more I wondered…" he paused, sighing. " When we arrive, Braska will call the Final Aeon… He will fight Sin, then die. I thought my mind was made up long before. But…when I stood here, my resolve wavered." Auron looked up, his eyes clearing and his mind obviously coming back from the past as Wakka said, "Huh. Never would've figured. Legendary guardians choke sometimes too, ya?"

Auron turned, saying, "Legendary guardian? I was just a boy. A boy about your age, actually." He turned back to Tidus. "I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing." There was a hint of bitterness in his voice, of old weariness when you know what the world really is. "That is my story."

Auron walked away, disappearing up the path. Tidus sighed, exchanging a glance with Wakka, who shrugged, and we kept going. Up the icy path that was slowly turning to dirt, and the city of Zanarkand rose over the horizon. The setting sun bathed everything, from the twisted metal to the last sparkling icicles, in a rosy glow, and I once more found myself walking perfectly in step beside Auron.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked finally.

"Mm," I answered, sighing in contentment.

"But it is dead. Zanarkand will never return. No matter how the fayth dream." I glanced over with a questioning look, and when the guardian said no more I turned my attention back to the crumbling city. It was beautiful, but Auron was right: it was no longer Zanarkand. I looked over at Tidus, who had walked to a small rise in the path and was looking back over the city. His thoughts were far away, interrupted only by Rikku's sudden, uncontrolled exclamation of, "Yuna, I say no!"

The summoner turned to her youngest guardian, tilting her head to one side as the Al Bhed continued. "If we go down there, you'll…"

"Rikku," Yuna interrupted suddenly. "You're a true friend, and I thank you, but I must go down…to Zanarkand."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go," Rikku said hurriedly. "But shouldn't we think about it some more? There's…there's just gotta be some kind of way we can save you, Yuna!" The girl's voice turned desperate, and she glanced up at the summoner with a pleading look.

"All my life…" Yuna murmured. "I knew this moment would come."

"Yunie…" Rikku said in a small voice. Yuna dropped a sphere on the ground in front of her.

"Thank you, Rikku," she answered, looking up and blinking back tears. "Thank you for everything." She stepped forward, and Rikku threw her arms around the summoner's shoulders.

"Don't say that, Yunie," she whispered. "It's not over yet!"

"Tell Cid thank you," Yuna continued, smiling sadly.

"No!" Rikku exclaimed. "You can tell him yourself!"

"Please…" Yuna said softly. She took the Al Bhed's shoulders, her eyes sad but the corners of her mouth curved upward.

"Yunie, don't say that because we're…we're going to see each other again, okay?" Rikku said softly, and Yuna did nothing but turn away and keep going up the mountain path.

We soon reached a small dip in the land, isolated and very close to the water: perfect for a campsite. Zanarkand loomed on the other side, and as Rikku got a fire started each guardian put their weapons together on a small rise. Auron's katana, Lulu's moogle, Wakka's blitzball, my dagger, Tidus' sword, Kimahri's lance, and Rikku's gloves were all piled together, softly reflecting the light of the fire.

I sat next to Auron, hand in hand, and stared into the flames as everyone talked quietly. I barely noticed Tidus suddenly getting up, putting his hand briefly on Yuna's shoulder, and then walking slowly to the protruding ledge that hung over the water.

"Do you ever wonder…" I said softly, and Auron looked sideways at me. "What happens after death? In the Farplane or otherwise?" He shifted, staring into the fire.

"No," the guardian sighed. "Life isn't something to be wasted worrying about what comes after it."

"But doesn't it ever cross your mind? What _happens _in the Farplane?"

"Braska used to say, 'Live every day like it is your last. Because one day, it will be.'" Auron sighed, suddenly taking his glasses off to rub his temples, one hand covering his face as he closed his eyes. "Jecht…he did. He was carefree…careless. I never was. I spent my life worrying about what would happen when Braska summoned the Final Aeon, wondering who else Spira would lose before he did. I regret that now."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but I knew well enough by now that I couldn't get Auron to say anything by myself. So I did nothing but move closer, looking down and resting my head on his shoulder as the sun dipped completely below the horizon. He looked down, and his hand tightened around mine in response. "I'm sorry."

x.X.x

**Ooh, wonder why Auron apologized? Hmmm...**

**Guess we'll never know =D (although, if you're insightful and thoughtful, you can probably guess ^^)**

**I'm trying to gradually up the romance, but it's hard! I just don't want to go out of Auron's character... Man...I wish the pilgrimage were longer, so I could actually have time for relationship-building XDDD**

**Of course, I could MAKE it longer (by describing every detail of every day), but that would be boring to write and boring to read.**

**IN any case, you know the drill. Romance, Sue-ness, OOC-ness, and POLLZ.**

**Thank you, and have a nice day ;)  
**


	22. Zanarkand Pt 2: Don't Look Back

**HIYA! I HAVE A COLD! IN THE SUMMER! ISN'T IT GREAT? AND YOU KNOW THE BEST THING? _SWIM TEAM STARTS TOMORROW! _**

**Whoo hoo.**

**ANYWAY, this is probably the most mushy chapter in all twenty two, so ready yourselves for (hopefully) mild OOC-ness, romance, and "Aww!"-inducing moments. That's right: this is the chapter that gets everything out.**

**SO thanks to the normal people, and I think I have a new active reader. S/he added Carpe Diem to their Story Favorites, but we'll see...**

**THANKS SO MUCH to all my amazing current readers: you have no idea how much this means to me!**

**So we're getting closer and closer to Sin...everyone get the popcorn buckets out and enjoy the movie!**

**Disclaimer: Owl City and the Goo Goo Dolls rock.**

**x.X.x  
**

Morning came, and Rikku and Tidus doused the fire as Yuna got everyone together. She looked back as the last two guardians joined the procession, and then held her staff up and sighed.

"Let's go."

We started forward, into the ruined streets of Zanarkand, and I glanced back nervously. The sun had yet to come up, and I had a feeling that as long as we were in the city, its light would not shine through. Auron glanced sideways at me as I jumped and looked over my shoulder when a piece of metal creaked behind us, anxiously pulling at my gloves.

"Nervous?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"I don't really…like the dark," I answered haltingly. Auron raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Well, I can't see in it! I could be snuck up on, attacked, and I wouldn't even know until it was too late!" I answered disbelievingly. He cocked his head the slightest bit.

"I've always found the dark calming. I don't rely on sight as much, though," Auron said matter-of-factly. I nodded, thinking of his left eye that was sealed shut by the long gash traveling from his hairline to his jaw.

"No, I suppose you don't. _I _do, though," I replied, still glancing nervously around.

"Then try not to." His voice was so frank, as if this was a solution I should have thought of long ago. I raised my eyebrows, turning slightly to face him as we walked.

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Close your eyes. Try to walk without using sight, and you'll learn to use your other senses better."

"And you want me to walk through Zanarkand with my eyes closed?" My voice was incredulous, staring at Auron.

"You can open them during battle, obviously," he answered, smiling with a hint of teasing in his normally humorless voice. I chuckled once despite myself.

"And I'll be tripping over my own feet anytime else."

"Only if you rely on your conscious mind."

"I am _not _stumbling through a destroyed city without the ability of sight. That would just make my fear of the dark worse, thanks very much." I was only half-teasing, but I knew it was a battle lost. I kind of wanted to try it, anyway, just to see what would happen. Had we been walking closer together, I might have slowed the party down, but lately everyone had divided into their own little groups. Tidus, Yuna, and Rikku were up at the front. Farther behind them was Lulu and Wakka, and then Auron and I. Kimahri was behind us, keeping our backs protected. Every now and then Lulu and I would walk together, or Rikku would run back to walk with Kimahri, or Tidus with Auron. The specific groups changed, but we were still separated. "Alright," I sighed, smiling. "I'll try it."

"I thought you would," Auron answered with a smirk. "Close your eyes and just walk." I nodded, reluctantly obliging and halting almost immediately. "You don't have anything in front of you," Auron consoled me, but I could hear the mildly mocking laugh in his voice. "Just walk."

"Fine," I muttered, hesitantly taking a step forward.

"Keep going." Auron sounded like he was smiling, and I wished I could open my eyes to see what he looked like. I started walking, slowly, and stopped when the street began to slant upward. We were coming to one of the many cracks and fissures in the streets, and I visualized it in my mind, having no intention to try and jump it blind. I began to open my eyes, but stopped at a, "Don't try it," from Auron.

"Well, how do you expect me to try and cross this?" I asked, gesturing sightlessly to the crack I was sure was in front of me.

"We're not even there yet. It's at least twelve feet in front of us," Auron answered, laughing once.

"Still, I can't jump it!" I exclaimed, turning to him with my eyes still closed.

"Of course you can. It's about three and a half feet long. All you do is feel the edge with the soles of your feet, and then leap."

"Right," I muttered. "And just hope I make it."

"You could step over it if you wanted to, if your eyes were open. Just think like that." I sighed, nodding.

"All right. Tell me when we get there," I said, and Auron gave a pitying, almost teasing laugh. I walked forward a couple more steps, and stopped as I heard him half-stepping, half-jumping across the gap. I hesitated, apprehensively feeling for the jagged stone edge with my toes through my shoes, and Auron's sigh was audible from the other side.

"Would you like me to catch you?" he asked, and I heard the smirk in his voice.

"That might actually be nice," I answered, nodding. "Unless you were being sarcastic." The guardian didn't answer, but I imagined him raising an eyebrow, and guessed that that was exactly what he was doing.

"Alright. Now jump," Auron said after a moment more. I sighed, stepping back to give myself room to gain some momentum.

"If I fall and die, it's your fault." I said, still locked and poised to jump.

"Mm."

I rolled my eyes--still closed--then realized that it wouldn't be visible to the guardian, and took a step forward and jumped.

For a heartbeat I flew, and wondered for a moment if I had misjudged the length of the crack, when Auron caught me easily by the waist and then started swinging me in circles, laughing. Laughing. Truly, finally laughing.

I opened my eyes, drank in the happiness on his face despite where we were and what we were going toward, and grinned when he set me down. "That didn't seem too hard," the guardian said with an _"I told you so," _look and a half-smile. I chuckled.

"It wasn't…really," I answered, unable to keep the joy off my face. He laughed again, and I marveled at the change it produced in the guardian. Auron, usually somber and stern, could actually be happy. I hadn't thought it was possible.

"Then close your eyes, and let's keep going."

"Fine."

I was blind once again, and now took his hand as I navigated the loose stones and small cracks in the streets of Zanarkand. Soon, we were at another fissure, and Auron stepped over it ahead of me.

"I'll let you do this one on your own," he said, and I sighed.

"Come on! Please?" I asked, only half joking.

"Go on, Aey."

"Aw, fine." I sighed, backing up a bit, and leapt forward. I was only short by an inch or so, but it was enough to make me slip. Auron took my forearm, pulling me back as my eyes flew open, and let go as soon as I was on stable ground, laughing once again.

"You jumped farther by at least a couple of inches last time," he observed with a teasingly raised eyebrow. I shrugged, smiling again.

"I got lazy this time, I suppose."

"Indeed. Were you planning on closing your eyes again? This won't work if you open them every time you feel like you need to."

"Okay, okay." I did as he asked, obediently keeping them closed for the next couple of fissures and gradually getting used to using other senses: mainly touch and hearing. It didn't keep me from almost opening my eyes every time I slipped, but each time I grabbed Auron's arm and managed to keep them shut.

Finally, he let me use my sight again, and I sighed in relief. It had been almost fun, though, leaping cracks and relying on the guardian walking at my side to guide me through Zanarkand. However, I found that I could actually use my other sense better--at least for a little while, until I got used to using my eyes again. "It worked!" I said in shock, and Auron chuckled.

"You sound surprised," he said wryly.

"I am. For a little while, at least, I could sense things better without my eyes." The guardian nodded, giving another half-smile, just as we caught up with the rest of the group. Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, Wakka, and Lulu were waiting, and Auron and my smiles faded as we came up on a demolished blitzball stadium. Auron tensed, and I looked over and saw that his eyes were far away again. Tidus was the same way, looking as though he was remembering something, just as Kimahri came up behind us.

Yuna glanced behind her to make sure everyone was with her, and then started forward--right up to the entrance to the stadium. To me, this was a place with stories, of wins and losses, friendship and heartbreak, and everything else that came with blitzball. Every stadium I had ever seen seemed to echo with the legacy of the teams that had played there, and this one more than any other. Beside me, Auron sighed.

"This…was Jecht's home," he murmured. "More than anything else, this was where his heart was. His son grew up the same way."

I nodded, squeezing his hand in a comforting gesture, and the guardian nodded just as an old, hunched man walked slowly out of the dome.

"Journeyer of the long road," he rasped, looking at Yuna with white, sightless eyes. "Name yourself." The summoner stared back at him.

"I am the summoner Yuna," she answered in a strong, confident voice. "I have come from the island of Besaid." The man took a step forward, saying in a voice that scraped up and down his throat, "Your eyes, my dear. Show me the long road you have traveled."

Yuna glanced up, her blue-and-green eyes widening, and the man nodded. "Very good. You have journeyed well," he rasped. "Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go…" His last word echoed as Yuna led the way into the dome, and almost immediately we were met by ghostly images of two young women, one of them turned to the other.

"If it might benefit the future of Spira, I will gladly give my life," one of them said solemnly, bowing her head. "It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin." They faded just as the summoner began to reply, and Rikku said in confusion, "Who…who was that?"

"Our predecessors," Auron answered.

"She said 'Lady Yocun,' didn't she?" Lulu asked, her brow creasing.

"You think she guarded High Summoner Yocun?" I asked, and the mage shrugged after exchanging a glance with me.

"This dome is filled with pyreflies. It's like one gigantic sphere," Auron said in explanation. "People's thoughts remain here. Forever." I glanced up at him, and he nodded solemnly as Yuna started walking again.

After a couple of minutes of silence, no one wanting to break it, another image shimmered into view. This one depicted a young boy, somehow familiar, with erratic, bright blue hair and tears in his wide eyes. Another woman was standing next to him, and behind them both was a stoic, emotionless man.

"No! Mother, no!" the little boy sobbed. "I don't want you to become a fayth!"

"There is no other way…" the woman said with a sad smile. "Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will the people accept you."

"I don't care about them!" he wailed. "I need you, Mother! No one else!"

"I don't…have much time left…" she whispered, putting one hand on his shoulder as they both faded away.

"Hey…" Wakka began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Wasn't that…?"

"Seymour?" Rikku finished, looking just as awestruck. "Yeah, I guess so." Wakka made a gesture of hopelessness, throwing his hands into the air with a sigh, and Yuna started forward again, shaking her head. Tidus walked next to her, and Rikku now fell back to walk with Kimahri, casually carrying on a monologue with the silent Ronso. A friendship seemed to have sprung up between them since Gagazet, and every now and then Kimahri would look over and nod.

"Auron?" I asked, glancing at him. The guardian was staring down at the broken stone below us, seeing something completely different that just dull gray streets. He looked up.

"What is it?"

"Just wondering if you were okay. You seem…distracted." He hesitated, then sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"I'm fine. Just a little…tired," the guardian answered. I raised my eyebrows.

"Never thought I'd hear you say _that_." The Auron I knew didn't _get _tired, but maybe Zanarkand was taking more out of him than I thought. He shrugged, and then stopped short as three more figures shimmered and came into view.

"Hey, Braska." There he was. Jecht, the famous blitzball player, the one that people had come back to all the time--if only to see the Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Marks one and two. "You don't have to do this."

"Thank you for your concern." There was High Summoner Braska, and I felt my eyes widening as Jecht folded his arms across his chest. It was like they were all standing in front of us, and I saw Auron look away, shifting his weight.

"Fine," the famous blitzball player muttered. "I've said my piece."

"Well, I haven't!" Now Auron stepped into view, and the real Auron sighed: I gaped. He was so different, with a silky black ponytail hanging down his back and a face that was young and unscarred, but yet exactly the same as the man standing next to me. The same tense stance, same robes, same sword. Auburn eyes still hard and determined. "Lord Braska, let us go back!" he said, at a little higher volume than usual. "I don't want to see you…die!" His last word was forced, as if it stuck in his throat, and Braska smiled sadly.

"You knew this was to happen, my friend," the summoner answered, putting his hand on Auron's shoulder. I realized that the red-cloaked guardian was the youngest, and it seemed strange to me now.

"Yes." His voice was quiet. "But I…I cannot accept it." Braska laughed humorlessly.

"Auron, I am honored that you care for me so," he said warmly. "But I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira." The summoner's voice turned soft, pleading with his old friend. "Please understand, Auron."

Braska's youngest guardian bowed his head, stepping back, and they all faded away again as the pyreflies disintegrated. The current Auron sighed.

"I'm sorry," I said, unable to think of anything else. He looked over.

"So am I."

We caught up with Yuna and Tidus, who had stopped to wait for everyone at the blitzball stadium's end. I looked back, at the crumbling sphere pool and remains of the bleachers, and wondered if my sphere pool--my home--would ever become the same way.

As soon as everyone was together, Yuna started forward again, up a flight of stairs. As soon as she had reached a rather small arch, the ghostly images of Jecht, Braska, and Auron appeared again. The red-cloaked guardian next to me turned away.

"Are the Trials ahead?" Jecht asked, peering into the arch.

"Probably," Braska answered absently.

"Here too, huh?" the blitzball player sighed. "Gimme a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and…fireworks!" The summoner suddenly laughed once.

"You can ask for them after I defeat Sin," he said good-naturedly, pulled from his reverie. They faded away, and Yuna turned to her own guardians.

"Everyone ready?" she asked. We nodded, and the summoner turned and entered the Cloister of Trials. The mood was somber and grim as Auron put his memory to the test again, quietly telling Yuna what to do, and she completed both rooms. Pushing all of the pedestals in inside the first room, she made her way back to the second and took the Kilika Sphere and Besaid Sphere, inserting them into two of the pedestals.

As soon as the summoner had done that, the six glyphs glowing around the platform in the center of the room combined, forming an elevator-like device. She approached it, but stopped short at a roar that echoed around the Trials and made the ground shake.

"Get onto one of the glyphs!" Auron commanded, randomly choosing a symbol to step on. I leapt onto another beside him, and everyone else followed suit not a moment too soon. They began to rise, the ground disappearing, and a lithe, snakelike creature appeared in front of us.

"What the--?" Tidus exclaimed, raising his sword. I almost stepped back, and realized just in time that in doing so I would have fallen from the hovering platform. Still, it was hard not to as the dragon-like creature roared. Without hesitating, Auron stabbed forward with his katana, and the fiend bellowed again and whipped around, its tail slicing across the guardian's torso as he leaned back just enough. As Auron regained his balance, Tidus attacked from behind, and as he did I threw my dagger. Lulu, hovering nearby, returned it, and I nodded gratefully. She cast Firaga, and smiled grimly as the creature writhed for a moment.

It turned, planting a glyph mine where Tidus stood, and he leapt to the next platform just as the bomb detonated, forcing the young blitzer to shield his eyes and wince as he was hit with Berserk Tail. Tidus looked up now with angry, blind rage burning in his eyes, and then leapt forward again to sink his sword into the dragon's belly. They exchanged a number of blows, and the blitzer was steadily growing weaker.

"Yuna, stop him!" Auron called, and the summoner hurriedly brandished her staff, sighing in relief as Tidus slowly calmed down. He had taken a number of hits, though, but the creature had taken more. Yuna healed him, and again Auron ran forward, trying to hit a vital organ to shorten the battle. The dragon-like creature growled now, baring its teeth and then whipping around and swiping its claws across Rikku's torso. She flinched, managing to keep the gashes from being too serious or deep, but still sucked in an unsteady breath as she kept standing. Auron stabbed again, glancing over at the Al Bhed.

"Try summoning an aeon," he said calmly, and Yuna nodded, calling Bahamut into the battle. Thanks to the battle with Seymour Flux, he wasn't strong enough to perform Mega Flare, but managed to get in one good attack before the glyph mine he had been flying over exploded. "Are any of them strong enough for an Overdrive?" Auron asked, and Yuna nodded as Bahamut collapsed.

"Ixion," she answered. "And Shiva."

"Good. Try them."

The summoner obliged, getting in a couple of good hits from the aeons while the guardians attacked from the other sides, and the demon grew weaker. Finally, as it dropped a couple of feet from weariness, Auron managed to stab his sword upward just as I threw a dagger and let it embed itself in the creature's throat, the katana hitting the same mark.

It fell, and the floor rematerialized below us. I stepped off the platform with a sigh of relief, and Yuna hurried over to Rikku.

"I'm okay," she said breathlessly, but squeaked in pain when she began to stand.

"Stay still," Yuna said worriedly, doing her best to heal the worst of the gashes. They had still sapped the girl's energy, though, and Yuna looked up at Auron.

"We'll camp tonight," he said impassively. The summoner nodded, helping Rikku out into the main room before the Trials and letting her relax on the steps. Kimahri took up his position standing over them, and Wakka and Lulu sat quietly together at the foot of the staircase.

"Aey." I almost didn't hear my name being spoken, and I turned. Auron was leaning against the wall, eyes blank and staring at the stone ground. They came into focus then, and he looked up at me. "I want to tell you something."

"What is it?" I asked, and he stood up straight, taking his weight off of the stone and nodding at me to follow.

"Come with me." He turned and didn't glance back to make sure I was behind him as the guardian walked out into the ruined streets of Zanarkand. I followed silently, wondering where he was going, but Auron said nothing, finally stopping near the place where we had camped. Violet mist floated over the collapsed buildings and twisted metal, and Auron sank down on the sand. Confused, I sat down next to him.

"There is something I think you should know," he said finally, looking up. My brow creased.

"What is it?" I asked, and he suddenly took my hand. It was such an unexpected gesture from the Auron I knew that I almost pulled away in surprise.

"I didn't know what I was doing," he said urgently, as if he only had so much time to tell me. "I was angry and blinded by Braska's death, and by Jecht's sacrifice. So when I knew the truth, I went back to Yunalesca. I tried to avenge them, and I failed." He spoke too quickly for me to interrupt, telling his story as if it was his last connection to Spira. "Yunalesca finally killed me, but I had promises to keep. I had things left in this world that kept me from the Farplane. So I was not sent. I remained here, and here I am today." I blinked, not fully taking it in.

"So…?" I began, trailing off, and Auron leaned forward minutely.

"I'm Unsent, Aey," he said in a low voice, one that still rang with finality. "I'm dead."

I stared, the information worming its way through my mind.

"Dead?" I echoed numbly, still not fully hearing the words. "Like Seymour and Mika?" He nodded.

"I'm sorry you didn't know earlier."

"Sorry? You're _sorry?_" My voice started rising. Auron was an Unsent, one that knew that he belonged in the Farplane, and he had said _nothing_? I began to doubt if he trusted me, if he even knew me. "When, all this time, I've been wondering who you are, why you always seem to know, why you were never there at a Sending…" I stopped, shaking my head, my voice rising still. "You didn't go into the Farplane, but I didn't wonder. Is this why? Is this the only reason you're…alive? And you never said anything, never. Were you waiting for me to figure it out, or did you just not care?"

"I cared." His voice was quiet and calm, which only served to make me angrier. "I cared deeply."

"So you just didn't want me to know, is that it?" I stood, pulling away from him and jerking my hand away from his. "You just thought, 'Oh, too bad for Aey. She doesn't get to know that the person she's closest to is _dead_?'" I stopped for a moment, anger making my voice higher. "Does anyone else know? Does Tidus? Was it just something you were purposefully keeping from me, thinking that it didn't matter when the pilgrimage ended? Did you think I might be too distracted by Yuna's death to notice you slipping away, taking everything I had with you?" I was yelling now, and Auron abruptly stood and took my arms.

"Listen to me, Aey," he said, his voice angrier. I twisted out of his grip, shaking his hands off.

"Get away," I growled.

"No. Listen. I'm trying to make you understand, can't you see that?" Auron's voice rose in volume as well, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I shrieked, "No, I don't see that! I don't know why you didn't trust me enough to tell me, why you never thought that I might care for you enough to care when you walked off!"

"I thought about that all the time!" Auron's voice was strong and cold. "I knew that Yuna would have to send me at one point or another, and I worried every day what would happen to you when she did!"

"But you weren't going to do anything about it, were you? You weren't _planning _on warning me, were you?" The tears spilled over, and I fought to keep myself from breaking down completely.

"I couldn't have," Auron answered, his voice now soft and low as he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me back to the ground. "I can't do anything about any of this." I sobbed, burying my face into his cloak and taking his hand. The other rested on one of my shoulders, and Auron held me silently as I cried. "I'm here," he said quietly.

"But you won't be," I answered, my voice almost inaudible through the thick folds of his robe.

"I am now."

"But what will I do when you're gone?" I asked softly, shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs. His arms tightened.

"You'll keep going with your life," the guardian murmured. "Keep going, and don't look back."

"I can't."

"You can. Look at me." I looked up, and he stared down at me. "Don't look back." I nodded finally, wiping the tears off my cheeks just as more spilled over, and Auron was silent. We sat there for what might have been hours, and finally I knew the truth. Auron was going to leave; he was going to be gone forever. And I would still keep him with me, still miss him, but I wouldn't look back. Not once.

**x.X.x**

**HOLY SHIZ!**

**What did you think? Too much, STILL too little, or good? And the OOC-ness? **

**Once I start with that kind of thing, it's kind of hard to stop ^^**

**So I renamed the last chapter (just in case it doesn't show) To _Zanarkand Pt 1: Journeying Blind_**

**I think so, anyway. Bad memory...**

**ANYWAY, this was a mix of sweetness and tragedy. I could totally imagine Aey walking through Zanarkand with her eyes closed XD**

**Thanks for reading! Enjoy! And take ZE POLL.**

**PLEEZ.  
**


	23. Zanarkand Pt 3: There and Back Again

**Little bit of a long chapter, here ;) (ACTUALLY, it's the longest chapter yet! PARTAY!)  
**

**I think I have TWO new readers, but if they could review (I really don't care how long it is), then I'd know for sure. Thanks!**

**So the usual stuff, and FINALS ENDED TODAY. YES YES YES YES YES! **

***ahem***

**Disclaimer: 3OH!3 is the weirdest band. But they're good...**

**x.X.x  
**

We walked back to the others, to find Rikku sleeping and Yuna and Tidus speaking quietly on the steps next to her. Kimahri hadn't moved, and Lulu and Wakka were both settled on slabs of rock. Lulu looked up at me, but saw something in my expression that kept her from commenting. Yuna stood as Auron walked over to her without a backwards glance at me--but I wasn't sure I wanted to see his face. We had gone back to the group in silence, each of us brooding and strangely distant from each other.

"Is Rikku well enough to continue?" he asked impassively, and she nodded.

"I gave her some potions, so she'll be okay," Yuna answered, wringing her hands. Auron nodded.

"Are we ready to go, then?" he asked, and the summoner nodded again. Without another word he walked off, and Yuna shook Rikku awake. She seemed back to her normal self, and the summoner, Tidus, and the Al Bhed girl all walked off after Auron.

I fell back, to keep in-step with Lulu, who said nothing for a moment.

"Are you all right?" she asked finally, and I looked ahead, at the back of the red cloak some paces in front of us.

"I don't know. He…well I suppose he'll tell you if he wants to," I answered, sighing. "I just don't know. Sorry." Lulu nodded in understanding.

"I know how you feel."

We didn't talk much after that, and finally Yuna stopped at the platform in the second room of the Cloister of Trials.

"Yuna," Auron murmured. She looked up. "We're here."

"The hall of the Final Summoning," she answered, nodding.

"Go."

With that, the summoner bowed to her most experienced guardian, stepped onto the platform, and descended. A moment later, Jecht's voice echoed from down below, presumably with Braska and the younger Auron as well.

"Huh?" he asked indignantly. "What do you mean 'no Final Aeon?'"

Then, the platform rose again, and Yuna stood in the center of the room.

"Sir Auron!" she said. "Everyone!" Her guardians stepped forward, onto the elevator-like slab of stone. I exchanged a glance with Lulu as we walked into the next room, and my gaze fell upon an intricately carved statue rooted in the ground. "This isn't a fayth," Yuna explained softly. "It's just an empty statue."

The wall behind her shimmered, melting out of view, and the man that had greeted us stepped forward. The summoner jumped, turning.

"That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago," he rasped, sightless eyes roving over us all the same. "It is Lord Zaon, the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is…his soul is gone." The last words had a tone of foreboding in the man's trembling voice, and I shuddered.

"Gone?" Wakka echoed disbelievingly.

"You mean there is no Final Aeon?" Rikku asked, her eyes widening.

"But fear not," the man's voice turned the slightest bit comforting, but somehow I wasn't appeased. "Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers." He began to back away, his voice floating back to us. "Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits."

Yuna hesitated, and then began to follow him back through the wall. Tidus put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Yuna, wait!" he said urgently, and she turned back just as the blitzer looked at Auron. "Auron, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"I did," he answered stonily.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rikku exclaimed, and he looked at her for a moment.

"If I had told you the truth," he said after a moment, glancing at me for a split second. For a moment, I saw more pain and sorrow than I had ever seen buried in his eyes. "Would that really have stopped you from coming?"

Yuna sighed, nodding her understanding, just as Kimahri said, "Yuna." She turned to him.

"I'm not going back," the summoner said defiantly, both to the Ronso and to her other guardians.

"Kimahri knows." He stepped in front of her, turning. "Kimahri goes first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect." She nodded, and then followed the Ronso with all of us trailing behind her.

As soon as we were still, in the next room, all was quiet. For a couple of moments, there was silence, and then Rikku spun around.

"Someone's coming!" Pyreflies flooded the room, and when they had cleared there was a silver-haired woman standing at the top of the stairs. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Auron tense and step back.

"Lady Yunalesca," Yuna said, almost in surprise as she bowed slightly.

"Welcome to Zanarkand," Yunalesca answered, her voice soothing and calm. Auron's grip tightened on his katana, eyes closing as he warred with himself. Yunalesca pretended not to notice. "I congratulate you, summoner. You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow you with that which you seek." She smiled, though it lacked all warmth. "The Final Summoning…will be yours. Now, choose."

For a moment, Yuna looked confused, and her namesake walked down the stairs with snakelike grace. "You must choose the one whom I will change…to become the fayth of the Final Summoning." A collective gasp rose from the group from all but Auron, whose brow creased, eyes still closed. "There must be a bond, between chosen and summoner, for that is what the Final Summoning embodies: the bond between husband and wife, mother and child, or between friends." At this, her gaze ranged over the group, resting again on Yuna with a comforting nod. "If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin."

Yunalesca stepped closer, and in unison with her Auron stepped back. "A thousand years ago, I chose my husband Zaon as my fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon." She reached out as if to twirl the summoner's hair between her fingers. "There is nothing to fear." Yunalesca's voice had turned calm, easy--almost dangerously so. "You will soon be freed of worry and pain. For once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end." Yuna looked taken aback for a moment as the woman continued. "Death is the ultimate and final liberation. Your father, Braska, chose this path."

At this, Yunalesca disappeared up the stairs again with a knowing smile and a final glance at Auron, who had opened his eyes and was staring defiantly back. Suddenly, the shimmering images of Auron, Braska, and Jecht appeared in front of us, and the young Auron was looking beseechingly at his summoner.

"It is not too late!" he exclaimed, stepping forward. "Let us turn back!"

"If I turn back, who will defeat Sin?" Braska asked mildly. "Would you have some other summoner and his guardians go through this?"

"But…my lord, there must be another way!" Auron's voice was pleading, and I felt a stab of pity for the man standing across the room from me, the man that wouldn't meet my gaze now.

"This is the only way we got now!" Jecht's voice cut across the room like a knife, silencing the other two. He folded his arms over his chest, sighing. "Fine. Make me the fayth." He ignored the half-formed exclamation from the youngest guardian, and kept speaking. "I been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand." Jecht shook his head, unfolding his arms. "I wanted to make that runt into a star blitz player. Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there's no way home for me." He looked up at Braska, not a hint of sadness evident anywhere but his eyes. "I'm never going to see him again. My dream's never gonna come true. "So make me the fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then…maybe my life will have meaning, you know." Jecht finished his speech and stepped back, and I looked over to see the real Auron shaking his head.

"Don't do this, Jecht!" His younger version was pleading. "If you live…there may be another way! We'll think of something, I know!" Jecht laughed, without any humor.

"Believe me, I've thought this through," he answered. "Besides, I ain't getting' any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."

"Jecht." Braska's soft voice interrupted him.

"What! You're not gonna try to stop me too, are you?" the blitzer asked, raising his eyebrows and turning to his summoner.

"Sorry…" he apologized. "I mean…thank you." Jecht nodded, and turned to the last man in the room.

"Braska still has to fight Sin, Auron," he said, and the guardian looked subdued for now. "Guard him well. Make sure he gets there." Jecht nodded, almost to himself, and turned away, stretching. "Well, let's go."

The two began to walk away, but a cry from Auron stopped them.

"Lord Braska!" he called. "Jecht!"

"What do you want now?" the blitzer asked, but it was clearly good-natured.

"Sin always comes back," Auron said, as if begging them to understand something. "It comes back after the Calm every time! The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!"

"But there's always a chance it won't come back this time," Braska countered. "It's worth trying."

"I understand what you're saying, Auron," Jecht said suddenly. "But don't worry. I'll find a way to break the cycle."

"You have a plan?" Auron asked, suddenly skeptical and sounding more like his thirty-five-year-old self.

"Trust me, I'll think of something." He laughed, and the figures faded away, only to fade back in on Auron, twenty-five and kneeling alone, sadness etched onto his face. Wherever he was, it was clear that the battle against Sin was over. Braska was dead: Jecht was as good as.

A knife flew through the apparition and skidded on the ground, and I glanced back to see who had thrown it: Auron, grief made clear on his face.

"And the cycle went on," he murmured wretchedly as the ghostly reflection of himself faded away.

"We'll break it!" Tidus said confidently, but even I knew it was easier said than done.

"But how?" Wakka asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "What, you got a plan now?"

"If one of us has to become a fayth…" Lulu began, and I turned to her, already knowing what she was going to say. "I volunteer."

"Me too, Yuna," Wakka interjected, nodding.

"That still won't change anything, you know?" Tidus was suddenly angry, turning on them both. "You'd bring the Calm, and then what? That won't break the cycle!" His voice rose.

"Listen…" Wakka interrupted, stepping forward. "You wanna defeat Sin and keep Yuna alive? But you don't want Sin to come back, ya? That is just not gonna happen, brudda, you know?"

"If you want everything, you'll end up with nothing," Lulu finished, backing him up.

"But I want everything!" Suddenly I could imagine Tidus as a little boy, screaming. Perhaps at Jecht, perhaps at no one. Screaming exactly what he was yelling now.

"Now you're being childish!" Wakka's voice rose to meet his, and the blonde blitzer threw his hands up.

"I give up!" he answered, his voice slowly quieting. "So what would an adult do, then? They know they can just throw away a summoner, then they can do whatever they like." He stared around the group. "You're right, I might not even have a chance. But no way am I gonna just…just stand here and let Yuna go." He hesitated, looking at the red-cloaked guardian standing in the back. "And what Auron said about there being a way…I think it's true."

"You'll think of something?" Rikku asked, echoing his words.

"I'll go ask Yunalesca," Tidus said with certainty. "She's got to know something."

"You really think she'll help you?" the Al Bhed girl inquired.

"I don't know, but I have to try," he answered. "This is my story. It'll go the way I want it…or I'll end it here." Auron looked up, his expression unreadable. Not that I looked at his eyes long enough to try.

Yuna nodded, and followed Tidus up the stairs and to the doorway Yunalesca had disappeared through.

The room beyond was a circle of stone, cracked and weather-beaten. Yunalesca, silver hair swinging, stood in the center. The moon cast a pale, ghostly glow on her face, even as she smiled. It looked instead like she was baring her teeth.

"Have you chosen the one to become your fayth?" she asked, casting her gaze around the group. "Who will it be?"

"Might I ask something first?" Yuna inquired tentatively. Yunalesca nodded. "Will Sin come back even should I use the Final Summoning to defeat it?"

"Sin is eternal," she answered, as if she had rehearsed it. "Every aeon that defeats it becomes Sin it its place…and thus is Sin reborn."

"So that's why Jecht became Sin," Tidus muttered.

"Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is neverending." Yunalesca's voice flowed, smooth and soft, around the room as if part of the air itself.

"Neverending?" Wakka echoed. "But…but…if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya?" he asked, growing desperate. "Someday, it'll be gone, ya?"

"Will humanity ever attain such purity?" Yunalesca asked, soothing and as if trying to let the flame-haired blitzer down easy.

"This…this cannot be!" Lulu exclaimed, stepping forward with a rush of urgency. "The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!"

"Hope is a comfort…" the woman sighed. "It allows us to accept fate, however tragic it might be."

"No!" Tidus' yell was suddenly joined by another, and an image of Auron shifted and flowed into view, standing before Yunalesca with tearstained cheeks. I felt another pang of sympathy, and I closed my eyes and turned away. Just how much was he keeping from me?

"Where is the sense in all this?" I couldn't block out the young Auron's voice, so like the one I knew now. This one, too, was filled with anguish. "Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"

"They chose to die…because they had hope." Yunalesca was virtually unchanged, but now she sounded cold and hard. I couldn't keep my eyes closed any more, and saw Auron run at her with his sword raised before she flicked her wrist, sending him flying and landing without a sound on the concrete. His sword landed two feet away, and the young guardian's eyes were blank and staring.

I furiously blinked back tears, angry with himself for being so upset. I wanted to kill Yunalesca, but I didn't know if I wanted to because of she had done to Auron or what he had done to me.

"Yevon's teachings and the Final Summoning give the people of Spira hope." Her voice yanked me back to the present. "Without hope, they would drown in their sorrow. Now, choose. Who will be your fayth?" She stepped forward, her eyes bright. "Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?"

Everything was silent. But it was the loudest silence I had ever heard, and my heart pounded as Yuna looked up.

"No one," she said finally, defiantly. "I would have gladly died. I live for the people of Spira, and would have gladly died for them." The summoner took a deep breath. "But no more! The Final Summoning…is a false tradition that should be thrown away."

"No." Yunalesca's voice turned cold, reminding me more of Seymour than anything else. "It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people. So they would forget sorrow."

"Wrong." Yuna's voice was just as hard. "My father…my father wanted…to make Spira's sorrow go away. Not just cover it up with lies!"

"Sorrow cannot be abolished," the summoner's namesake answered mercilessly. "It is meaningless to try."

"My father…" Yuna began quietly, her voice gradually rising in volume. "I loved him. So…I will live with my sorrow, I will live my own life! I will defeat sorrow, in his place. I will stand my ground and be strong." She inhaled, closing her eyes and then opening them. "I don't know when it will be…but someday, I will conquer it. And I will do it without…false hope."

"Poor creature." I shivered at Yunalesca's voice. "You would throw away hope. Well…" She began to step back, smiling coldly. "I will free you before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than to live in despair." She began to hover in the air, slowly rising into the air to tower over us. "Let me be your liberator."

"Now!" Auron's yell made me jump. "This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

"Yuna needs Kimahri. Kimahri protect Yuna." The Ronso's rough voice followed soon after Auron's.

"Well, I'm fighting!" Rikku said cheerfully, as usual undaunted by anything.

"I can't believe we're gonna fight Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!" Wakka exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

"Well, you could always run," Lulu said wryly, smiling.

"Hah!" Wakka snorted. "I'd never forgive myself--no way! Not if I ran away now. Even in death, ya?"

"My thoughts exactly," the black mage said as he joined the others. She turned to me. "Ready?" I nodded with a grin.

"Let's go." We caught up with everyone, and over our heads Tidus called, "Yuna!" She looked up, mousy brown hair swinging. "This is our story! Now let's see this thing through together!" The summoner nodded, smiling, and then turned back. Yunalesca had not changed, but was simply hovering in the air with a sharp-toothed, cold smile.

Auron did not hesitate in running forward and swinging his katana, making her stagger and sway. As soon as she had recovered, though, she cast Blind, and the guardian's eyes were blank and sightless. He retreated, seemingly undaunted, just as Yunalesca was hit with a powerful Firaga spell. Yuna healed Auron, but whipped around as Lulu was Silenced. I held a hand up to the summoner, telling her silently that I had this one while giving the mage an Echo Screen, and she mutely nodded her thanks.

I smiled in return, and then pivoted and launched one of my daggers. I had gotten better at throwing them, since this was my main method against the more powerful enemies if I couldn't reach vital organs with my gloves, and just as my knife hit I felt darkness washing over my vision.

There was a moment of fear, and then relief as I felt Eye Drops being quickly pressed into my palm. I used them, and muttered my gratitude to Lulu as she returned my dagger as well.

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to learn black magic if you want your dagger back again," she said with a sideways smirk at me. I playfully rolled my eyes, still half-concentrating on the battle.

"I'm trying, but we're not all as gifted as you."

"I haven't seen you trying much.

"You haven't been watching."

"Really?" She let it drop, but I laughed once.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking." After that, we only fought. Soon, Yunalesca went down, but in her place came a cocoon-like, rotting carcass with lithe worm-like vipers sliding in and out of it. Their bodies rippled with muscle, each one three times the size of Auron, and Yunalesca was perched at the top.

Hellbiter, one of the few attacks I knew by name, came first. Instantly, I felt my skin begin to rot and my mind begin to slow, so that I was sluggish and clumsy: a zombie.

Yuna immediately healed everyone who had been turned--which was her mistake. Yunalesca cast the same thing again, but this time had the chance to cast Cura. I went down on one knee, fighting not to make a sound as what would have normally been blissfully warm and soft raced through my veins, burning hot and sharper than steel. Before anyone could react, she cast Regen on Yuna, who began to toss me a potion. The summoner cried out, only managing to stay upright by bracing her staff against the ground.

She cast Dispel on herself as Auron moved in front of her to take the next attack, and the summoner passed some Holy Water to him before drinking one herself and inconspicuously giving them to every other guardian.

After she had done that, Auron ran forward and stabbed fiercely, backing up as I whipped my dagger out and let it fly accompanied by Lulu's magic. Yunalesca stared coldly, slicing one palm through the air and forcing us all back to zombies. A few feet away, I barely heard Auron warning Yuna not to give Holy Water to more than one person at a time, or Yunalesca would notice. She nodded silently.

A few more Dispels, a lot more Echo Screens and Eye Drops, and the second form of Yunalesca fell. But after that came the third.

A huge head, not unlike the legendary Medusa, rolled sickeningly with the same wormlike snakes slithering blindly over it, hissing. A heavy fog settled in the air, and my skin prickled and crawled with foreboding. I knew instinctively that if I had not been a zombie at that moment, the moment the spell was cast, I would be dead. A glance from Lulu told me that she was thinking the same thing.

I threw my daggers again, desperately keeping my hands from shaking, just as Tidus leapt for Yunalesca and buried Brotherhood into the cheek of the severed head. A snake struck at him, and he leapt out of the way just in time. Then, the head opened its mouth in a silent scream, but one that washed over the room like poison. I felt my mind fogging, my vision blurring, and was knocked forward at a weak Watera. Spinning drunkenly, I lunged for Lulu, missed, and began to try again. She defended herself with Blizzara, and I shivered just as another white-hot wave crashed over the room.

I snapped out of my confusion, realizing that I had been about to attack Lulu, and saw the same in her face. There was no need--and no time--to apologize as we faced the battle again, and I quickly retrieved my knives and launched them at Yunalesca, cursing Mind Blast. Again the mouth opened, but this time the scream was real, and I slapped my hands over my ears and screwed my eyes shut. As I opened them, I saw that Auron was unaffected, and had managed to get an attack in.

_Probably because he's dead,_ I thought bitterly, still stung and wondering how much he hid. There wasn't much time for that, though, as another Hellbiter was cast, and Yunalesca laughed mirthlessly. Curaga slammed into Auron with as much force as a physical blow, and he was forced down for a couple of seconds. It took him only a moment to recover, but it was enough. For a split second he left Yuna unprotected, and one of Yunalesca's snakes lashed out, striking the summoner and knocking her off her feet. Lulu's magic sped close behind it, but it had already withdrew.

I moved as quickly as I could toward the summoner, ducking out of the way of one of Yunalesca's snakes when it struck. The first one's attack seemed to have roused the others, and now they were in a frenzy. I threw one knife, pausing, and then hurled the other straight toward Yunalesca herself.

Finally, I knelt beside Yuna, keeping my eyes on the battle and watching as the knife missed by a hairsbreadth. Cursing under my breath, I looked down at Yuna and gently shook her shoulder, tipping an Al Bhed potion back into her mouth and helping her up. She nodded, taking her staff again, and glanced up at me. I winked back, looking more confident than I felt, and stepped in front of Lulu as she returned my daggers.

"Least I can do is protect you," I said in a low voice, and she smirked.

"Mm-hmm." With that, the battle went on.

Lulu and I each attacked in quick succession, staying in front of Yuna so that she could heal as needed, and beside us Auron and Tidus were doing the same. Kimahri, Wakka, and Rikku pitched in as well, and Yunalesca began to get weaker.

But she didn't fall fast enough, and soon everyone was feeling the strain from constant battling. My arms felt like lead, and behind me I saw Lulu concentrating more and more on every spell. We _had _to win this battle, but right now it didn't seem possible. We had had a limited supply of potions in the first place, but now we were completely out. If one of us died, that was it.

"Go for Yunalesca." Auron's voice was calm, but even it shook a little. "Don't waste time on the demon." I nodded wearily, throwing a dagger again, but the silver-haired summoner stepped out of the way just in time. I shook my head at Lulu when she tried to return it.

"I've got it."

The mage nodded, casting Firaga and swaying with the effort. She regained her balance, shaking herself, and I murmured, "Cast Firaga or something on one side, and I'll try and throw my dagger on the other. That way, she can't avoid it." Lulu nodded, and I flung my knife just to Yunalesca's left as Lulu cast Firaga to her right. Luckily, she stepped straight into the fire, and Lulu's brow creased as she kept it going, making it hotter and brighter. I was out of knives, and couldn't help, but finally Yunalesca screamed and tumbled forward, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Yuna took a wary step forward, and her namesake's head turned to face the summoner.

"If I die," she said hoarsely. "So does the Final Aeon. And with it…Spira's only hope."

"Then we'll find Spira a new hope!" Tidus exclaimed defiantly.

"Fool," Yunalesca rasped. "There is no other way. Even if there was…even if you did destroy Sin…Yu Yevon the immortal would only create Sin anew."

"Yu Yevon?" Tidus asked, and I leaned forward. But Yunalesca's eyes had already begun to glaze over, and she shuddered and whispered faintly, "Ah…Zaon…forgive me. Spira has been robbed of the light of hope…all that remains is sorrow." Her voice cracked, faded, and she dissolved into pyreflies.

"I cannot believe what we just did," Yuna said suddenly, still staring at the place where Yunalesca, the first to defeat Sin, used to lay.

"Let's do something more unbelievable," Tidus answered, standing.

"What?" Rikku asked, as if unsure something like that existed.

"Destroy Sin," he answered with a nod. "So it won't come back, and _without _the Final Aeon. I don't know how just yet." His voice dropped to a murmur. "But I'll find out."

**x.X.x**

**Tada!**

**So there really wasn't much Auron-Aey in this one, and it was long because I crammed the Yunalesca fight as well as the preparations into one chapter. Just fyi ;)**

**And I wasn't sure if Aey was going to be injured on this fight, but it turns out she wasn't. Sorry to anyone who wanted that =D (Sadists!)**

**Anyway, swim meet tomorrow. I REALLY don't feel like going, since my coach signed me up for like, five events WITHOUT my consent, thank you very much. Meh.**

**AND BYAKUYA WAS JUST STABBED. PROTECTING RUKIA. WHO IS ACTUALLY HIS...niece? I think...**

**AND THEN URYU MADE RUKIA A PURRDDYYYY DRESS...SHIRT...thing... 8D  
**

**I love Uryu~ He's such a cool little nerd ;)**

**So just to get this out there (and I WON'T say if I had this in mind or not. It's just a mild curiosity):**

**What do ANY of you think about something like kissing? Or just something more than now. Any opinion counts, as long as it's not flaming XD**

**So yeah. Thanks!  
**


	24. The Highbridge: Lies

**Hi! **

**Swim meets are fun. But not when you get last in your best stinking event. =/**

**Anyway, thanks to...**

***drumroll***

**Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai**** (both new readers! 8DDD)**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira. W00T! Tell me if I forgot you =D**

**So. This might be a rather confusing chapter. Just as a warning. ;)**

**Disclaimer: HE WANTS TO TAKE THE PRECIOUS, MY LOVE. (Creepy much? That would be Gollum. Speaking through poor Smeagol)**

**x.X.x  
**

We exited the room in brooding silence. Auron still wouldn't meet my gaze, and I still wasn't sure I wanted him to. I wondered, though, why he hadn't looked at me since he had told me. I thought he might be shamed, but it wasn't like the legendary guardian _not _to "just get over it."

As we walked back into the Cloister of Trials, Auron nodded to Yuna and slowed, calling Tidus back with a murmur. I fought not to look back, and walked behind Yuna slowly out of the dome and back up to the base of Mount Gagazet.

A couple of minutes of heavy silence later, Auron appeared and made his way toward the group. A few moments passed, and Tidus followed with downcast eyes.

Yuna looked up after nodding at them both, watching as the airship appeared and floated slowly down for everyone to board. Cid could be seen in the cockpit, gesturing impatiently, and Tidus broke into a light jog to join Yuna and Rikku as they disappeared inside the hull.

Rikku's father was waiting as we boarded, and turned to face the rest of the group.

"Aren't we the happy-lookin' bunch," he observed dryly.

"Frana?" Brother asked suddenly, turning. "Frana?"

"Where? Where?" Rikku exclaimed suddenly, throwing her hands up. "That's all you can say? Why don't you think of something?" All was silent.

"Well?" Auron asked finally. "Any good ideas?"

"Come on, help us!" Tidus answered, raising his eyebrows at the older guardian.

"What do we know…" he mused, thinking for a few moments and saying finally, "Sin is Jecht. Thus, you have a link--a bond--with Sin. That may be our key."

"So what do we do?" the blitzer asked impatiently.

"We think. And we wait." He turned, glancing at Yuna and nodding before walking silently out of the room. She nodded back, too late, and then bowed to Cid as Tidus muttered, "Two things I'm bad at." Her eyes locked with the Al Bhed man's for what might have been hours, and then the summoner turned and left with Kimahri.

No one spoke, and finally Lulu murmured, "I wonder why Sir Jecht likes the Hymn…"

"He probably grew to like Spira. Maybe…maybe it reminded him how different Zanarkand is from this world," I answered after a moment, shrugging.

"Yes, but why does it change him? Sin, the cause of so many deaths, can listen to the Hymn of the Fayth and be calmed."

"The Hymn…" Rikku muttered, almost to herself. "What if…"

"What if what?" I prodded when she said no more.

"What if _we _could calm Sin with it?"

"You mean like playing it while we were fighting him?" Wakka asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yeah…" Rikku looked up, and idea clearly forming. "So maybe we could make him less angry and easier to fight!"

"Because the Hymn would make him calmer!" Wakka finished, nodding. "That's perfect!" Rikku nodded in satisfaction, and gave the blitzer a high-five. Lulu smiled, exchanging a glance with me, and I laughed.

"It might actually work," I said, and Rikku beamed.

"Yep! We'll be the first ever to use the Hymn of the Fayth to calm Sin down!" she exclaimed happily. Lulu nodded, just as Tidus, Yuna, and Kimahri appeared again through the door.

"Hey, guys!" Wakka exclaimed. "I just had a great idea!"

"It was my idea!" Rikku objected. "Let me tell them!"

"It's like this, ya?" Both of them just kept talking, and Lulu looked at me with an exasperated smirk.

"I just thought--" the Al Bhed started, and Wakka opened his mouth to interrupt. Before he could, Lulu's soft voice stopped them both.

"The Hymn is the key," she said, and I chuckled once as Wakka muttered, "Aw, man…" Tidus ignored him, echoing Lulu's words.

"The Hymn?"

"Sir Jecht likes the Hymn of the Fayth, correct?" Lulu asked, and the blitzer nodded.

"Yeah."

"That's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" Rikku said energetically, nodding.

"Sin…violence incarnate, listening peacefully," Lulu murmured, shaking her head.

"I know it's your old man and all, and I don't mean no disrespect…" Wakka began hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck, and Tidus shrugged.

"No, it's fine," he said. "I've gotten used to it."

"Let me say it," Lulu told Wakka gently, turning back to Tidus. "If we attack Sin head-on, we've little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile."

"Yeah, and that's when we make our move!" Wakka finished. "Might be against the rules and all, but who's keeping track, ya?"

"Yeah!" Rikku said, punching the air. "It could actually work!"

"Yeah…" Tidus answered slowly, echoing both of their words. "Yeah, it's worth a try!"

"So where to?" Cid asked suddenly, turning to the group.

"Oh, by the way," the blonde blitzer said with a nod, as if remembering something. "Kimahri had this great idea about going to Mika…" I didn't hear the rest, instead turning and slipping out the door in pursuit of Auron. He was usually leaning just outside the door, both listening to the conversation inside and keeping watch, but now he was nowhere to be found.

I searched the airship, not entirely sure why I was, and finally found him in the cabin, standing near the back windows and watching the clouds go by.

"Auron?" I asked hesitantly. He didn't turn, but I knew he was listening.

"What is it?" the guardian's voice was flat.

"Just…" I trailed off, unsure what to say, and neither of us spoke for a long time. Finally, Auron turned.

"If you didn't come up here to say anything, I don't understand why you came at all," he said stonily, and I recoiled at the sudden harshness. It wasn't evident in his voice, but everywhere else. He began to walk away, and I caught up and swung around to block him.

"What is _wrong _with you?" I asked, grateful that there was no one else in the room. I was usually happy to be alone whenever I was with Auron--whether I was angry at him or not. He said nothing, only raised an eyebrow. "Ever since Zanarkand, you haven't looked at me if you could help it, haven't talked to me, and just…cut off!" I left out the part that I was angry with him for other reasons as well, still not knowing what else he hid.

"And why are you 'cut off' as well?" His voice was hard and expressionless, and I narrowed my eyes and lowered my voice.

"I don't know what else you're hiding."

"You don't trust me."

"If you want to see it that way."

"I don't. But that is what I see." I was taken aback by the sureness in each of his answers, how he bounced my statements back as if he had rehearsed it.

"I don't understand, though. You never used to do this. Then, when you told me about…that, you just didn't talk anymore. What happened?" I asked, stepping back.

"You don't like to say it." His voice was dull, looking past me.

"Say what?"

"That I'm dead." I opened my mouth to protest, but knew that he was telling the truth. I stumbled over the word, over the fact that he was no longer alive. He was like Mika and Seymour, like the man that had murdered his own father. Both of them hungry for power, both of them willing to kill to get it. Auron echoed my next thoughts. "You don't want to believe it. You shy away from it."

"I don't--"

"Then why don't you?" he interrupted. I knew that Auron wasn't like Seymour, that he was as far as he possibly could be from the Maester, but I couldn't explain that. I was--unbelievably--insecure, wondering if Auron shared some of the half-Guado's traits. Just because they were both dead, and yet both alive. I didn't answer. "You see? You don't trust me: you're worried." There was no emotion in the guardian's voice.

"I trust you," I objected immediately, and I did. I trusted him with my life, but I hated that I wasn't sure if I trusted who he was. Or who he said he was.

"Do you? If you don't think you know me anymore, as you say, then why should you trust me? If you avoid the fact that I'm dead, how do you know me at all?"

"I…" Then I understood what he was saying. If I refused to believe what he had told me about himself, how did_ he_ know that I accepted it? That I knew who he was and acknowledged it without second thoughts? He didn't. Because neither did I. "I don't know," I answered finally. Auron nodded as if he had already guessed what I was going to say, and then turned on his heel and disappeared back to the bridge. "Auron!" I began to call, and then stopped as the door slid shut. It was no use anyway.

Suddenly, I was furious. What right did _he _have to be angry, when he had kept this for the entire pilgrimage? And now he expects me to accept it and not even care, when he was dead--as dead as Seymour?

My thoughts kept going back to the Maester, and I wasn't only angry at Auron. I was outraged at myself, too, because I didn't trust the person I had trusted the most. And somewhere in the very back corners of my mind, I had been thinking about what might have been. Because I had been blind enough--stupid enough--to feed the dreams and sometimes wonder what could happen. Like a fantasizing little girl, I wondered if there would ever be a house with two inhabitants, both of them old guardians from High Summoner Yuna's pilgrimage. Their ears would constantly be filled with the pattering of little feet on the wood floor, and they might be happy. The might spend their evenings telling their children stories--how they met, how she once tried to get him to ride a chocobo, how he had taught her to fight and given her a dagger. I dreamt, wondered if that could happen, and sometimes convinced myself that it could. Now I was angry because my fantasy world had been crushed--and I had been idiotic enough to dream it up in the first place.

I followed Auron slowly, not wanting to catch up to him, and made my way back to the bridge where the others were waiting. The airship began to move, and I guessed that we were heading to the Highbridge. Tidus must have gotten out whatever he was going to say about Mika…

My thoughts drifted, and I saw no point in going back to the bridge yet: so I wandered. Aimlessly shambling to every room, lost in thought, before making my way back to the others as the airship finally touched down with a jolt.

I fell in step again with Lulu as we walked onto the Highbridge, feeling Auron's gaze burning through the clothes on my back. I shifted, my thoughts a jumbled mess. I was angry with him for keeping so much from me: I trusted him more than anyone else I had ever known. I didn't think he had a right to be so distant: I didn't have a right to be as furious as I was, either. He didn't seem to care in the slightest: I cared more than anything else.

"Are you alright?" Lulu asked quietly as we walked, not looking at me. I shrugged, trying not to let my confusion show, and was relieved when we reached the end of the path. A man appeared, brandishing a gun, with his comrade at his side.

"Infidel!" he yelled, pointing the rifle at us.

"Don't these guys ever give up?" Waka muttered.

"You'll regret showing your face here!" the man exclaimed. "We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Tidus said dryly, turning to us. "Yeah, so? Guys?"

"If they want a fight, then let's give 'em one!" Rikku answered, and I noticed absently how confident everyone seemed.

"Prepare to charge!" the guard said to the man at his side, raising his gun. I tensed, tightening my gloves.

"Stop!" A familiar voice echoed around the room, and the men lowered their rifles.

"Captain?" one of them asked as Shelinda ran into the cavern, puffing.

"Lady Yuna is not to be harmed!" she panted, regaining her breath. "She is no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed!"

"What?" Rikku asked indignantly, stepping forward.

"Maester Mika himself told me," Shelinda said, glancing at her.

"Then…" one of the guards began. "What should we do?"

"Stand down!" the Al Bhed girl exclaimed, still looking angered at the accusation toward her people.

"As she says!" Shelinda confirmed when the soldiers looked uncertainly at her. They bowed slightly and backed out of the room.

"What was that about evil Al Bhed?" Rikku asked, putting her hands on her hips and turning on Shelinda, who spread her hands helplessly.

"I…truly, I do not understand myself," she said tentatively. "All Yevon seems to be in a state of confusion. Why, yesterday they called me out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!" I saw Auron smirk, and I fought down a surge of frustration.

"Short on believers?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, and Shelinda gave a tired nod.

"Yes, the chaos in the temples is worse than I'd imagined," she said with a sigh. "It's horrible! And all the priests do is blame each other. I worry…what will become of Yevon." She trailed off, and then shook herself. "But no! I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right?" The acolyte turned to Yuna. "Lady Yuna, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me."

"Yeah, that's great, but we came here to see Maester Mika," Tidus said impatiently. "Is he here?" Shelinda bowed slightly, saying, "Yes. I shall arrange an audience." She began to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "Please wait in the courtroom."

"Hey, hey, wait!" Rikku exclaimed, stepping forward. "What was all that about the Al Bhed lying and stuff?"

"Simple," Auron answered her. "Yuna has become Mika's only hope."

"Oh. Okay." She sounded a little taken aback, and Lulu said suddenly, "Just what does he think he can get away with?"

"Time to teach him some manners!" Tidus replied with his familiar confident grin.

"Yes, let's," Yuna said with a nod and a small smile, joining him.

"I think Tidus is a bad influence on Yuna," I whispered to Lulu, and she chuckled once.

"As do I."

We stepped into the courtroom, but it wasn't long before Mika appeared.

"Why are you here?" he asked immediately. "You must go and defeat Sin! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?"

"Well…we did meet her," Tidus began, hemming and hawing a bit. Yuna, however, had no desire to beat around the bush.

"We fought and defeated her," she said in a defiant voice.

"What?" Mika exclaimed, stepping back.

"Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Summoning no more," Auron answered coldly.

"You have profaned and subverted a thousand-year-old tradition?" Mika asked, aghast. "Fools! Infants! Do you realize what you've done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"

"Hey, maybe that's not the only way!" Tidus interrupted. "We think we've got another!"

"Why…" Mika began, and then shook his head vigorously. "Preposterous! There is no other way!"

"The grand maester, running away?" Auron asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable," Mika muttered, his low voice wavering. "Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."

"It won't die!" Yuna objected, just as Tidus asked, "Who is this Yu Yevon guy?"

"Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him," Lulu mused.

"Wait, gramps!" Rikku exclaimed, stepping forward. "Who's Yu Yevon?"

"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor," Mika said, shuddering. "An armor called Sin. Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible." He looked up, his eyes narrowing. "And the only thing that could have pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop it now…" He began to fade, disappearing with a few pyreflies, and I heard Tidus mutter, "Doomsday prophecy much?"

"Disappear on us, will ya?" Wakka asked irritably. "Rotten son of a shoopuf…" As soon as his voice had stopped bouncing off the walls, Shelinda walked in and looked around.

"Where…where is the grand maester?" she asked in confusion.

"He…um…" Yuna stuttered, and Auron stepped forward.

"He isn't here yet," the guardian said with a hint of disapproval. "How long must we wait?" I felt a tug of something more than annoyance: so he was lying to Shelinda now, too. Who else?

"That's odd…" she said thoughtfully. "I'll go look for His Grace." She turned and left, and suddenly Tidus turned around and spoke to nothing in particular. Yuna did the same, saying, "Okay," to no one.

"Who you talkin' to?" Wakka asked, cocking his head.

"Oh." Tidus turned and stepped back. "Uh, no one."

"I…I must go see the fayth," Yuna said suddenly, exchanging a glance with Tidus. He nodded.

"I see," Auron answered, raising his eyebrows minutely. They both nodded, and hurried into the Chamber. The other guardians sat down, prepared for a wait--as it usually was whenever someone ventured into the Chamber of the Fayth. I sat silently in a corner and thought, not noticing the passage of time or the people around me, and gradually my anger--both at Auron and myself--rose.

I didn't know how long it had been, but just as Tidus and Yuna returned Shelinda walked in.

"I'm afraid the Grand Maester is nowhere to be found," she said, wringing her hands. Tidus nodded.

"S'okay," he said with a shrug. "We were just leaving."

"Oh…I see." The acolyte looked bewildered, as if things had happened too fast for her to keep up.

"Hey!" Rikku said suddenly. "Maybe you could help us with the Hymn!"

"Good idea!" Tidus answered, nodding.

"It's like, we need you to tell as many people as you can," Rikku began to explain.

"What should I tell them?" Shelinda asked, her brow creasing.

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth," the Al Bhed girl instructed. "When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along!"

"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka interjected, nodding.

"I'm…not sure I understand," Shelinda said tentatively.

"You don't have to!" Rikku assured her. "Just tell everyone!"

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth?" Shelinda repeated. "And when they hear it , everyone should sing along, correct?"

"If they do, we might be able to defeat Sin!" Tidus said with a grin.

"Truly?" Shelinda asked, one hand covering her mouth. "That's wonderful! You can count on me! I will tell all of Spira!"

**x.X.x**

**Tada!**

**Next stop: SIIINNNN! *dramatic music***

**BUT. (ah, yes. The infamous "but")**

**We aren't going to Sin YET...I'm planning on having at least a COUPLE of chapters full of chocobo-racing, relationship-building, level-upping, more relationship-building, twists, surprises, and just plain fun. **

**Does anyone else just LIVE for the times in games RIGHT before the final boss, when you've done everything--and all there is left to do is beat the game? The time when you can go anywhere, do anything, because you are FREEEEEE? I love those times. I spent weeks just roaming around Spira on my chocobo before I beat FFX...same thing with Twilight Princess. I did almost all of the sidequests before Ganondork, had a blast, and experimented with Bulbos. (did anyone know that you can actually drive them off cliffs in Gerudo Desert? Link'll die, of course, but it's HILARIOUS!)**

**Oh, and I once begged my padre for a pet Bulbo. I think he's getting used to my...um...antics. I also wanted a chocobo, but that's another story.  
**

**ANYWAY, thanks for reading!**

**And--if you haven't already taken it--there's a quiz on my page that I'd appreciate it if you took ;)  
**


	25. The Wall Between Us

**Hey hey hey! My birdie is wolf-whistling at me XDDDD (he's such a charmer ^^)  
**

**Sooo, thanks to the usual people, and another long chapter!(I think we've broken another record...)  
**

**Just to clear some things up: it might seem like Aey is getting TOO emotional and sensitive or whatever, but (and I've said this to one person already), you know how things are usually magnified in your mind? Like, it seems worse than it really is? That's kind of what's happening. Aey's angry because she can't accept the fact that Auron's an Unsent, because he hid it from her, and because SHE'S so angry. She's telling herself that HE has no right to be 'so distant,' but she really thinks that he has every right and she has none. **

**That clear anything up? No? Sorry. I tried ;)**

**If you've ever read A Separate Peace (it's actually a good book! By John Knowles), then think about Gene and Finny. Gene ended up KILLING Phineas because of what he THOUGHT. Well...technically killing him.**

**ANYWAY, Disclaimer: Another long/confuzzling chapter. TAKE IT LIKE A MAN! ^^**

**x.X.x  
**

The acolyte turned and rushed out of the room, and Yuna turned to her guardians.

"Where do we go now?" she asked.

"Yeah, we can't just go to Sin. We're not ready, are we?" Tidus answered, nodding.

"Then we must get ready," Auron said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"So…the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth first, then?" the summoner asked tentatively. He nodded.

"If that is what you wish." She nodded, and then led the way back to the airship, saying to Cid, "Can you take us to the Calm Lands?"

"Sure can!" Cid answered with a grin. "That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

"Thanks, pops!" Rikku said with a thumbs-up, and Yuna nodded and bowed.

"Thank you." Cid looked as thought he wanted to contradict her formal behavior, but he let it go.

"Alrighty, then," he said, turning to Brother. "Dyga ic du dra Calm Lands!" Brother nodded.

"Hykih!" he answered, nodding, and the airship lifted and sped off. It flew smoothly, with little noise from the engines, and we were free to walk around. I sat down beside Lulu near the computer, and tried to keep myself from sighing.

"Anything wrong?" the mage asked. We both knew that there was _something _wrong, but she was obviously leaving it up to me to say. I shrugged.

"Just a little…confused," I answered, leaning back.

"About?" she prodded.

"Auron." I kept my voice low so that it would be--for the most part--incoherent to the others. Lulu was silent, raising her eyebrows to show that she was listening. "I'm angry at him because he's been keeping so much from me, including one thing in particular, but I'm angry at myself because I don't think I have a _right _to be angry. But I don't know what to do, because he expects me to just accept it and not really care when I keep thinking about who Seymour is and who Mika is, and I hate that I can't _not _draw parallels between him and them, when I know that he's not like them at all, but I just can't trust him. So I think he's angry at _me, _which makes me angry at _him _all over again, because why should I trust him if he can't trust me enough to _tell _me?" Finally I ran out of steam, realized that my voice had risen a little, lowered it, and sighed. Lulu didn't ask anything else, just let me rant until I was done, and then shrugged.

"Well, depending on what he kept from you," she said carefully. "You do have a right to be angry, but he probably had his reasons for keeping it." She stopped as I started to seethe again.

"But now he won't look at me at all, and he certainly won't talk to me, and I don't understand why. If it's because of the fact that I know now, then it's not like him to avoid it, but I'm frustrated because _I _can't even say it without pausing or faltering a bit…" I trailed off, careful now to keep my voice at a low volume, and Lulu thought for a moment.

"I can't say I'm not curious," she began. "But you don't have to tell me. Sir Auron probably wouldn't like that very much…" The mage hesitated. "My advice would be to just let things cool down and then try again, this time with a bit more conviction about accepting whatever he hid from you, so maybe you can try and smooth things over." I shrugged, not answering for a moment.

"I probably will. Thanks for letting me rant, Lu."

"Any time. As long as you do the same for me when the time comes." She smiled, and I suddenly laughed.

"I can't imagine you ranting, but I will." The black mage nodded, standing as the _Fahrenheit _touched down on the dirt of the Calm Lands and following Yuna and the others out into the field. The summoner nodded to Cid, who gave a mock-salute back, and then started forward.

We didn't rent chocobos this time, as the cavern was so close, but Rikku made Yuna promise that we would. The summoner turned toward a small path leading down into the valley below the bridges where we had fought the Guado, and stopped at a murky cave with violet mist rising from it. Rikku ran in to look around, and then came back. Beside me, Lulu sighed.

"Where are we?" the Al Bhed girl asked.

"The fayth is inside," she answered wearily. "As are the fiends." Suddenly, Wakka gasped quietly.

"Hey…" he began, stepping forward. "This where…?" He trailed off, and Lulu nodded. I began to ask her if she would explain, but Tidus beat me to it.

"Where what?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

"The summoner I guarded on my first pilgrimage…" she began, and I knew. Lulu had told me that her first summoner's pilgrimage ended in the Calm Lands, and her second quit there as well. "…Died here." Everything was silent, and Lulu straightened up. "Yuna, let's go. The fayth awaits."

The young summoner nodded, following her guardian into the cavern, and then the mage fell to the back. I walked beside her, through the twists and turns of the dank cave, and no one spoke until we had arrived at a fork.

"What's a fayth doing in a place like this?" Rikku asked, scraping mold off the stone wall with one finger before sticking her tongue out and wiping it off on her pants.

"They say it was stolen from a temple long ago," Lulu answered softly.

"Huh?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"With no fayth, summoners cannot train," Auron explained impassively. "Without training, they cannot call the Final Aeon. Without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin." He paused as Tidus nodded. "That is why."

"'Cause then the summoner won't die!" Rikku finished, and Wakka nodded.

"That must have been what the thief was thinking."

No one spoke until Tidus broke the silence.

"I kinda agree with him," he said quietly, and Rikku sighed and nodded. The Al Bhed girl started forward with everyone else trailing behind, and we fought our way through the cavern, arriving at a hollowed-out area in the back of the cave. Pyreflies covered it like mist, and Wakka sighed.

"Peh!" he muttered. "Another Guado fiend?"

"No." Kimahri's low voice echoed around the room. "An Unsent." The pyreflies cleared, and a shimmering image of a woman appeared. Lulu stepped forward, looking down.

"It is…" she began, glancing up at the summoner. "It's you, is it not, Lady Ginnem?" The mage sighed. "Forgive me. I was too young." She glanced back at Yuna, who raised her staff to begin sending the Lady. Ginnem raised her arm, swiftly cutting Yuna's sending, and turned. "There is no human left in you now, is there?" Lulu asked softly. Ginnem lowered her arm and turned back to the mage. "Very well, then." Lulu straightened up, staring directly at her old summoner. "Allow me to perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian."

Ginnem dipped her head, turned, and raised her arms to summon the strangest aeon I had ever seen. It resembled a man, with a flowing red cape draped across its shoulders, but had the face of something else. Beside it sat a dog, lips pulled back in a snarl.

Immediately, Yuna summoned Bahamut, and the dragon flew down and roared. Yojimbo was still, and his dog leapt forward to sink its teeth into the other aeon. Bahamut didn't even flinch, instead flaring its wings and knocking the dog back, whimpering. He created a ball of energy and cast it at Yojimbo, growling, and as soon as the magic had struck he flew forward to slam into the aeon while it was stunned.

Again the dog lunged, and I was grateful to Yuna for having the foresight to gradually regain Bahamut's energy through both the Calm Lands and the Cavern. Now he had the strength for and overdrive, and Mega Flare was all it took to send Yojimbo back.

Now Ginnem had not the energy to stop Yuna's sending as her aeon returned, and she dissolved into pyreflies. Lulu looked at the place where her old summoner had stood and sighed.

"Strange," she murmured, and I looked over. "I thought it would be sadder, somehow. Maybe I've gotten used to farewells." Wakka put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're stronger now," he said with a nod.

"I hope you're right," Lulu answered, smiling slightly and turning to Yuna. "Yuna, the fayth is inside. Go do what you came to do." The summoner nodded and bowed, hurrying into the next room.

An hour passed, and finally Yuna came out--breathless and tired but accompanied by Yojimbo--and Lulu led the way out of the Cavern.

Apparently, we had lost track of time, because it had long been dark outside. As soon as we emerged into the light of the moon, Rikku's mouth opened in a huge yawn.

"I'm tired, Yunie," she said, her voice distorted through it.

"Yeah, same here," Tidus answered, stretching.

"Okay." Yuna looked around. "I guess we should camp anyway." She led the way to a cluster of trees hidden in a niche to the north, where we had stayed the night the first time we had ventured into the Calm Lands. Rikku promptly unrolled her blankets, got a fire started, and went to sleep. Tidus followed soon after, but I stood and slipped into the trees. Auron had disappeared as soon as we had made camp, and I soon found him standing near the edge of the Calm Lands.

"Yes?" he asked as I approached.

"Are you going to look at me now?" I couldn't keep the edge out of my voice, and the guardian turned with a raised eyebrows.

"I have been looking at you."

"Not really."

"Are you not still angry at me?"

"I am."

"Then why are you here?" He glanced down at me over his glasses, and I shrugged, looking past him.

"Because I don't want to be angry at you."

"And yet you still don't trust me."

"I do--" I began, but he interrupted, his voice growing slightly louder to drown out mine.

"I didn't mean that kind of trust." I stopped speaking, and when I did his voice lowered. "You know what I mean, because you know that you don't trust me that way."

"Only because I don't know if you're telling the truth anymore--"

"What reason do I have not to tell the truth?"

"Whatever reason you had to lie to Shelinda, and not tell me about how you were…dead!" I inwardly swore because I still stumbled over the word.

"I lied to Shelinda because she did not have to know about Mika's being there already, and if she had we would have had to explain. Things might have gotten complicated." His voice was cold, having noticed my slight pause. "And I kept the fact that I'm dead from you because you would not have believed me. Even now you don't accept it."

"Because I need time to think--" I began hotly, but he interrupted again.

"I've given you time, Aey. I've given you time to think about it, time to accept it, but I've only seen you getting angrier." Auron wasn't yelling, but the harshness in his tone was enough to make it seem like he was. "All you do is fume, instead of trying to think through it. Because you don't do that, you insist on coming back to me, as if thinking that I'll take it back. I know you well enough." I was only made even more outraged at this because it was true. I had no excuses, no feeble lies to myself. I wanted him to suddenly say, "Oh, that? I was lying about being dead. Sorry, just a little joke." But now I knew he wouldn't.

"So why did you tell me at all?" I asked, fighting to match the composure in his tone.

"Because I had hoped that you would know me well enough to take it without uncertainty. Apparently I was wrong." He looked back down at me, shifting.

"Only because--" I began to argue, began to say what I had been mindlessly repeating: I need _time, _because I was too confused to say anything else.

"Stop." The word silenced me immediately, and I couldn't keep myself from looking up. "Stop lying to yourself. If you can't accept it, then you shouldn't. I won't expect you to. If you can't trust me, I won't expect you to. Don't try."

I did nothing but look up at him, too stung to do anything but that, and he turned away. I stood there for a moment longer, and then spun and walked back to the campsite. I had heard the implications behind Auron's words well enough.

I slid quietly back into the campsite, careful not to wake anyone up, and then sat down cross-legged by the fire, staring into it for Yevon-knows-how-long. Finally, I stood and ripped a piece of paper from the notebook in my bag, uncapping a pen and writing one word on it.

_Sorry._

I put it next to the fire, knowing that he knew my handwriting from watching me write a reply to Graav's letter so long ago. Just in case he didn't remember, though, I took the throwing knife that he had given me and stabbed it into the ground to hold the paper down. He would know.

I shouldered my bag, Auron's words still ringing in my ears, and walked out into the Calm Lands. The guardian wouldn't see me, blocked by the trees, and I took my time in walking over to where the airship was anchored, thinking. I was confused, angry at him, frustrated with myself, and I couldn't think of anything else to do. I doubted I would be any more help to Yuna anyway.

I reached the _Fahrenheit, _knocking once on the door, and after a moment it slid open. Cid was sitting in a chair, having woken up at my knock, and stood.

"You look like you're up to no good," he observed affably, and I shrugged and smiled sadly.

"You could put it that way."

Rikku's father nodded, already knowing why I was here.

"Ah, well. I'll bet in a couple of days you'll be back," he said with a shrug, starting the engine of the airship. "Everyone needs some cool-down-time every now and then."

"I hope you're right, but I don't know," I answered, sighing. Cid chuckled, beginning to steer the ship. Apparently, Brother was sleeping.

"You know, my little girl ran away when she was eleven. Swore she'd never be back, but in three days she turned up again, right on the doorstep." Cid shook his head good-naturedly.

"Rikku?" I asked, distracted. "I can't imagine her being that angry." He burst out laughing.

"That little ball of energy could blow up Home if she wanted to. You're lucky you've never heard her throw a tantrum." I smiled.

"Reminds me of my older brother." Cid nodded.

"Where did you want to go, anyway?" he asked, looking at me for a moment. I thought for a couple of seconds.

"Home, I suppose. Luca. Not like I can really go anywhere else." The Al Bhed dipped his head.

"Alrighty. Luca, here we come." He pushed a couple of buttons, absently taking a card out of his pocket and tossing it to me. "You just call when you're ready to come back," Cid said with a wink. "If you own a machina that can do that, anyway." I nodded, sighing.

"Luca's a bit more lenient about that kind of thing."

"Well, good."

We flew on in silence for a couple more minutes, and I inwardly reflected how fast the airship flew. Clouds were nothing but white blurs, and the ground below was a mixture of different, barely-discernable colors.

Finally, Cid slowed as we neared my home, and he turned to me, putting the _Fahrenheit _on autopilot. "What do you want me to tell the others?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. I shrugged, fiddling with the card he had given me.

"Whatever you want. Don't make them lose sleep or anything," I answered, exhaling and leaning back. He nodded, smiling slightly, and then put a hand on my shoulder.

"You'll be back. Don't you worry. I know you--and so does that Auron." I looked up at him in surprise, and Cid's face suddenly broke into a grin as he laughed. "I ain't _that _old yet," he said, stepping away with a roll of his eyes. "And I ain't blind, either." I nodded, smiling.

"Thanks, Cid."

"Any time. Don't be too long, alright? You wouldn't want to miss the fight with Sin!" I nodded, and he let the airship down just outside the city. "See you soon."

I turned and watched the ship disappear into the sky, wondering why Cid was so sure I was going to come back. I certainly wasn't.

I sighed, taking my gloves off and stuffing them into my bag, my fingers clenching around the hilt of his dagger. I withdrew my hand and pulled the zipper shut, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. In a way, I wanted to go back, but I would have only been angrier. Auron had said that he wondered why I was even trying to make things right: so did I.

Sighing, I walked the streets of Luca, knowing that few would be up at this hour, and let my feet carry me where they would. I was hardly surprised to end up at the sphere pool, my home for so many years. I shook my head and set my bag down, taking out my blitzball but leaving my padded gloves. I wasn't sure I wanted to put those on yet, somehow thinking that that would seal my decision to leave. I felt as though I was in a completely different world, where stories of Sin and even fiends were no more than bedtime stories.

I threw it into the pool, diving in after the ball, and began to re-tune my skill. I soon found that I had gotten a little rusty after not playing for so long, and used both my anger and my confusion to send the blitzball flying as it slowly came back to me. I wondered if Graav was here, wondered if he had come back to Luca after Yunalesca and Seymour were defeated. I hoped he had, despite how we had been bitter rivals our whole lives.

I sent the blitzball spinning across the pool and then gave chase, trying to reach it as it sped through the water. Somewhere in my mind I had always loved my brother, despite my envy of him since day one. We were decent to each other in the sphere pool, but somehow found that impossible outside of it.

I spun around to block the blitzball, taking it and launching it at one of the metal poles holding up the pool. It bounced back and I missed, growling as I swam after it. I sighed as the ball popped out of the water, climbing down and retrieving it.

I played until I couldn't swim any more, and wondered if anyone had noticed my absence yet. Auron probably had, but I wondered if he cared. Lulu might have, and I felt a pang of guilt for leaving her. Cid had probably told them something along the lines of, "Oh, she'll be back," but I didn't know. I might feel different later, but right now I was home.

I walked woodenly out of the sphere pool, and put my blitzball back into my shoulder bag, sitting down on the bleachers and looking up. I remembered how I'd met Auron, how he had watched me play blitzball for the first time. He had told me once that I had more passion for the game than Jecht and Tidus combined.

My thoughts switched to Lulu, and I thought back to how I had tried to get her to play blitzball. On an impulse, I concentrated on my shoe and imagined it drenched in water, but my black magic was as useless as ever. I laughed, though without a trace of humor.

Finally I stood, shouldering my pack and wandering through Luca again, arriving at the apartment Graav and I grudgingly shared. We had more or less split it in two, each taking our separate bedrooms and almost killing each other on who got the larger one. He had won that argument, but I had stolen his blitzball the next day as revenge and then claimed for weeks that I had no idea where it was.

I smiled sadly as I remembered, taking the key out of the side pocket of my bag and unlocking the door. The blitzball was still cleverly hidden in the wall at the back of my closet. I wondered if he would ever get it back.

I walked into the apartment, turning the lamp on beside the door. I didn't want too much light, and I thought it was because I didn't want to see everything yet. I almost laughed upon seeing the half-built wall that cut right through the already-tiny living room--our method of anger-management. Graav had started it one day, soon after an unusually large fight between us, and claimed fiercely that he was officially splitting the apartment. I had screamed that it was fine, because I never wanted to see his revolting face again, and so "the Wall" was started. He never finished it, but every time we fought hard enough, we would both usually add something to it. It was made out of everything: cardboard, flat pieces of wood precariously balanced against each other, picture frames, and anything else. It didn't split the apartment, and instead only protruded a couple of feet into the middle of the room, but it was enough to get a point across.

Anyone who had ever come into our apartment either loved it or proclaimed it to be a violation of space. Everyone on the team, though, had made the Wall a part of our lives. When Graav and I fought near the others--in the sphere pool or otherwise--one of them would mutter something like, "Bet the Wall's going to be four feet longer when they get home." Someone else would usually reply, "Are you kidding? I'll say eight feet at the least." And the gambling would go on.

I walked forward and trailed my fingers over everything that made up the Wall, almost laughing as I remembered. There was the chair that I had found and demolished, then added to it. There was my old stuffed teddy bear that Graav had torn apart and thrown into one of the small holes in the Wall. The empty picture frame that I had ripped the photo out of and added soon after.

"Aey?" I whipped around, my hand impulsively going to tighten my gloves in preparation to fight. I shook myself, absently thinking what a change being a guardian had brought upon me, and looked at Graav. He was standing wide-eyed in the doorway of his room, loose t-shirt and sweatpants on. "What…?"

"I couldn't stay…with the others," I said with a halfhearted shrug, looking down. "So I came back here."

"But…what…?" My brother still looked stunned, and I avoided the question.

"Why are _you _here?" I asked, not unkindly. "I thought you were a Crusader." He shrugged as well.

"Maester Kinoc died. Heart attack or something," Graav explained, still looking confused. "So they made all us 'rookies' leave. I think they were going to make me leave anyway, since Maester Seymour saw how I was reluctant to fight you." He looked up, now angry. "Actually, scratch that. I _wasn't _going to fight you. I would have died before I did." I stepped back. I had seen him angrier before, but this was different. Graav stood there, fuming for a moment, before calming down and looking back at me. Neither of us spoke for a few seconds. "Your hair's wet," he observed finally, raising his eyebrows. I shrugged, suddenly wanting to cry in happiness. This was what I loved about Graav, however much I sometimes wanted to kill him. He didn't pry if I wanted to be vague, and instead made me explain something else.

"Blitzball," I answered, backing up and sitting down on my spot on the couch. My brother took his armchair, raising an eyebrow again.

"At four o'clock in the morning?" he asked skeptically. I shrugged.

"I wanted to cool down."

I saw that he knew that there was something else, something that I wasn't telling him, but Graav shrugged.

"I can definitely understand that. Good to have you back." I nodded.

"Good to be back." My voice was abruptly quiet, and I looked over at the Wall, feeling even more tears spring to my eyes--though it was for more reasons than my own sorrow. I shed tears because I knew that Auron would have to be sent at one point or another, because I had left without saying goodbye to him, because I didn't know if I would return or not. Cid seemed to think so, but I was home now, and I didn't know if I would leave again. Graav did nothing, only watched me, and I thought about the times we had fought and the times we hadn't.

I could have gone through my memories forever: the time he went out to travel with the team as he usually did, and when he had returned his girfriend of almost seven years had been dead. He had lashed out at me, because I had been with her when the ship had slammed into a reef and been crushed. We had been going to Kilika, and only later did I learn that Graav had been going to buy an engagement ring. His girlfriend had been one of the few people who had not learned how to swim, who had been too afraid of the water to abandon the sinking ship, and it had dragged her down with it. Young and ignorant, I had screamed at him that I had tried to help her, but that he was too stupid to see that.

I sighed, pulling my knees up to my chest, and Graav smiled sadly.

"Not going to fight Sin?" he asked lightly, breaking the silence because neither of us could stand it for a minute longer. I shrugged, sighing.

"Not like they'll need me, anyway," I answered, messing with a loose string on my shirt. My brother laughed once.

"Of course they will. I bet at least _one _person'll miss you in that whole group," he joked. I smiled despite myself, but it faded as I answered.

"Probably _only _one."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Her name's Lulu. Black mage." I described her for him, and he nodded.

"I've seen her." Graav paused. "Well, Lady Yuna will miss you, won't she? You're her _guardian!_"

"Not anymore," I sighed, and he rolled his eyes.

"You're such a killjoy. She'll still miss you, won't she?" Graav asked, and I shrugged and nodded. "What about the Al Bhed girl you told me about in your letter?"

"Rikku," I answered. "Probably." Graav nodded, and then got up and walked into his room, coming out a moment later with a piece of folded paper. I recognized the letter I had sent back to him, and remembered how--in response to Doram's prodding and pleading--I had described every guardian and my relationship with each. He scanned it, and I found myself rolling my eyes teasingly as he asked, "Okay, how about Wakka? Sounds like you two were friends."

"He probably won't miss me for long."

"Fine. What about Tidus?"

"Same with him."

"Kimahri might secretly miss you." I snorted.

"I doubt it. He didn't talk to me much."

"Okay…" Graav was clearly going through every guardian, and I sighed as I remembered who I had written about last. "What about Auron? Legendary guardian of High Summoner Braska?" I didn't answer for a moment.

"Somehow I doubt he'll miss me."

**x.X.x**

***LE GASP***

**I promised plot-changes, didn't I?**

**So this might have been a little "too much," but if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them ;)**

**Just because I have an OCD urge to explain: Aey is PROBABLY thinking lotsa other stuff, like how she doesn't want to--for instance--face Auron again. Or how she thinks she'd be too distracted or something to really help with the pilgrimage. That's why she left.  
**

**I, personally, can find too many mistakes in this chapter (in the writing/story) than I care to admit, so if you have ideas on how to fix any that you notice, it'd be nice. Sorry about the long paragraphs...**

**My bird is officially crazy. He was making the WEIRDEST sounds, so I was like, "What are ya doing, you little freak?" (affectionately, of course), so Connor goes, "Reeehhhhhhh.....Grrrr....."**

**I cracked up. **

**So these chapters are getting really long (I'm trying to rein them in) because I just start writing and don't stop until thirteen pages and 8,000 words later. Sorry 'bout that.**

**Connor says hi. In his weird chattery voice. Right now he's repeating a very strange popping noise over and over again.  
**


	26. Home is Where the Heart Is

**YOLAAA!**

**Wuzzup? I have the strangest pets...and friends...and tastes...**

**INNNNN any case, thanks to the usual people (if I forgot to mention someone, just let me know), and let's get this show on the road!**

**Disclaimer: Filler chapter. Nonsense again ;)  
OH AND CREDIT GOES TO WHOEVER MADE TEH AMAZING DRINK I LIKE TO CALL IZZE FOR THE MENTION OF IT IN THIS STORY. You people are truly geniuses.  
**

**x.X.x  
**

He was silent, folding the paper back up again and dropping into his chair.

"Is that why you left?" Graav asked, seemingly knowing the reason for my change of mood.

"Part of it," I said quietly. "I was just tired of…everything."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Lies. Both mine and his."

"Is that it?" Graav sounded surprised, as if that wouldn't be enough to make someone leave. I looked up, kicking myself for being so angry all of a sudden but unable to help it.

"How would _you _like it if someone that you thought trusted you failed to mention the fact that they were _dead_?" I snapped. "When you've been fighting _against _Unsent for half the pilgrimage?" Graav looked up in shock.

"So…Sir Auron's an Unsent?" he asked slowly, and I angrily drove my fist into a pillow.

"And I can't even _say _it without hesitating! He _knows _that!"

My brother was silent, and I rested my forehead on my knees, staring down at the couch cushion I was sitting on.

"Sleep on it," he said finally. "You'll feel better."

"That's never worked," I muttered, looking up.

"Well, do it anyway." Graav stood, reaching out a hand to help me up. "C'mon. We'll talk tomorrow, and tell the team you've returned. I know Doram was worried you wouldn't come back." I sighed and nodded, briefly hugging my brother. "Good to have you back," he said with a smile, and I gave one in return before he disappeared into his room. I gave the Wall a final glance, and then turned the light out and closed my bedroom door behind me.

I woke up just at sunrise, remembered that I wasn't on the pilgrimage anymore, and couldn't get back to sleep. The days of sleeping late and getting eight hours of sleep a night were long gone.

I rolled out of bed, reflecting on how well I had slept. It certainly wasn't the cold, hard ground I normally fell asleep on.

Graav had always been the early bird, and now I was grateful for that. I wouldn't have known what to do with myself had I been the only one awake for even two minutes. He was in the kitchen, devouring a rice cake, and looked up, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" he asked. "She who can sleep until three in the afternoon and then complain about not getting enough rest?" I smiled.

"Being dragged into a fight with a fiend almost every morning while you're still half-asleep can do that to you," I said, feeling more or less refreshed. My thoughts kept drifting back to the pilgrimage, but I found it easier now to ignore them for a moment or two.

"Is that so?" Graav asked, tossing me a rice cake as well. I caught it, ate in a few bites, and then began to pull my fighting gloves on. My brother raised his eyebrows, and I stopped and shook myself.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard."

"I can see that."

But then he smiled, gesturing for me to follow. "C'mon. The team'll be at the stadium, and I think you're going to get a hero's welcome."

He was almost right. As soon as we walked in, Doram slammed into me with a hug, and I laughed, greeting everyone else.

"How's it going, Ms. I-think-I'll-disappear-and-never-return?" Abus asked, holding out his hand for a high-five. I shrugged.

"Could be worse."

"The way you look? Not really." Raudy's voice came from the back of the group, and I smiled at him with narrowed eyes.

"I still remember how you told me to come back prettier in Graav's letter," I called to him. "You better sleep with one eye open. My spiked gloves are in my pack, and I've spent the past couple of months learning how to fight with them."

"Oh, I'm so scared I'm gonna be pummeled by a girl," he answered, smiling evilly. I rolled my eyes.

"As you should be."

"Alright, alright," Graav said, pushing between us. "Now, who's ready to blitz?" I nodded, diving into the pool with Doram and tossing the blitzball around a little as everyone else followed.

"You remember how to play?" she asked, and I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Of course I do. I daresay better than before."

"Oh, really? We'll see about that." She spun and dove, coming up underneath me and knocking the blitzball out of my hands. I surged forward, chasing it and snagging it just before Doram caught it, grinning.

"So close," I teased her. She chuckled.

"Hey! You two! Focus!" Graav called, and I gave him a mock-salute.

"Yessir!"

We played a game of blitzball, practiced for an hour or two more, and then toweled off in the changing rooms.

"Ugh," Raudy complained when we were all in the stadium again. "I'm so hungry I could eat a fiend."

"Then how 'bout some brunch?" Doram asked, and I nodded and glanced at Graav.

"I suppose. All we had was a rice cake each this morning," he said with a shrug. "Anyone opposed to some food?"

"Sounds good," Abus answered. "Where?"

"Lucy's?" I suggested, naming a café near the stadium that was known for its key lime pie. Raudy's eyes sparkled, and I remembered with an inward smile his obsessive love of desserts.

"Lucy's it is," Graave said as everyone nodded. He led the way, stopping at a brightly lit, colorful restaurant with a neon sign above the door. Inside, the waitress smiled warmly and led us to a room in the back, handing out menus and asking if we knew what we wanted to drink.

"Cream soda," Abus said immediately, and she jotted it down.

"I'll have an Energi," Graav answered, naming a popular carbonated soda around Luca.

"Izze," I continued.

"Same here."

"Do you have sweet tea?"

"What about a Lemon-Lyme?"

"Actually, I think I'll have an Energi, too."

"Wait! Can I get an Izze instead?"

"I'll take some tea."

"I've changed my mind. I think I'll have cream soda after all." The waitress hurried to write down everyone's orders, crossing out multiple drinks and replacing them. Finally, the clamor died down.

"So we've got a cream soda, an Energi, an Izze, two sweet teas, and a Lemon-Lyme. Is that right?" she asked, looking up with an expression that said, _"Please tell me that's right." _Graav nodded, and the waitress turned and walked off a little too quickly. I laughed.

"See what you guys did? You scared her half to death, you idiots!" I said, and Raudy rolled his eyes.

"So it's all my fault now, is it?" He asked, flicking a knife at me. I caught it, shaking my head.

"Tsk, tsk. My hand could be stabbed right now if that weren't a butter knife," I said, throwing it back. He caught it.

"Too bad it wasn't."

I laughed, tipping the chair back on two legs and happy for the moment. I was home, back with the team that had become my family.

"So what have I missed?" I asked, and Graav shrugged.

"Not much. Doram can't go a day without complaining, Raudy can't go a day without partying that you were gone, Abus was his usual old silent self, we all know Bickson missed you, and I'm not too sure about Balgerda." I laughed, watching a few of them shoot glares toward Graav.

"Good to know."

"What about the pilgrimage?" Doram asked after a moment. "You aren't going to keep that from us, are you?" I smiled, my spirits dimming for a moment.

"Of course not. We'll have a pow-wow tonight and I'll tell you all about it," I answered, and she laughed.

"At the stadium?" Raudy asked, and I shrugged and nodded.

"Sure. Bring some pie." He chuckled.

"Don't expect to get any." I jokingly rolled my eyes.

"I didn't."

At that moment, the waitress came up balancing a tray of drinks, and passed them out to whoever. We switched drinks as she did until everyone had the right one, and she sighed and got out her notepad again.

"What about food? Have you decided yet?" The same thing happened as last time as we ordered, with everyone switching orders and yelling out completely irrelevant things.

Minutes later, we were done, and now she almost ran back to the kitchen.

"You people are cruel," I said, shaking my head and laughing.

"Hey, you were doing the same thing!" Raudy countered, and I rolled my eyes.

"I had a good reason for it."

"Mm-hmm."

I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him, taking a swig of my Izze and spitting it out a moment later, gagging and coughing. Raudy suddenly burst into fits of laughter, doubled over, and as I peered into the carbonated juice I saw grains of salt floating around.

"What did you _do?_" I asked, setting the bottle down and trying to get the taste out of my mouth as he rolled on the floor.

"I-put-salt-in your-Izze!" he gasped, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Did you really? Well, we'll see how you like this." I grabbed my bottle, smiling evilly, and noticed a flash of apprehension in his eyes as I tipped it down. Carbonated, salted water splashed into his face, and Raudy spluttered.

"So not fair!" he exclaimed when he had recovered, taking a napkin and drying his face.

"Neither was putting salt in my drink when we were switching," I answered, laughing. He rolled his eyes, whipping the cloth napkin in my face. I batted it away, going back to my seat, and Raudy laughed to himself.

"Anyway," Graav said pointedly. "When these two idiots are done, we can talk about relevant things."

"Like what?" I asked after a sideways glance at the other blitzball player.

"Like cake. Cake is relevant," he answered.

"The cake is a lie," I said immediately.

"It is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is _not._"

"Is _too._"

"In any case," Graav's voice interrupted us both. "I forgot what it was like when Raudy had a playmate."

"Yeah, yeah," I answered with a laugh. "What do you suggest we talk about?"

"Blitz."

"You mean like strategies or stories?"

"Whichever."

"I've got a story," Bickson interjected, and I nodded. "Anyone remember the first time we found out about the Wall?" I groaned jokingly.

"I knew you were going to say that," I said, sitting back as Abus laughed.

"I remember that. So Aey and Graav were screaming at each other, like always, and then one of them starts talking about some wall," he started, and Raudy grinned.

"And Graav goes, 'I am _finishing _the Wall the first change I get!'" He continued, and Bickson sat forward.

"Then Aey answers, 'Good, because I never want to look at you _again!_'" He did a high-pitched impersonation of my voice, and I rolled my eyes, resting my hands on my stomach as Raudy kept the story going.

"And then they turn and stalk off, and the next day someone asks Graav, 'Hey…what's the wall?'" Someone else intervened for him.

"So Graav answers, 'Just something Aey and I do.'"

"And the person asks, 'What is it?'"

"And the captain explains, 'Just a big pile of stuff that we're using to kind of…gradually split the apartment."

"And then Aey walks up and rolls her eyes, saying, 'Of course, we're not going to really split the apartment. It's just to get anger out or something.'" Again, the person telling the story did a high-pitched, girly voice as they said what I had, and I rolled my eyes.

"You better imitate me right, or you'll end up with a knife in your eye," I said with a smirk, and Raudy stuck his tongue out.

"Fine. So that night we all go to the apartment to check it out, and behold!" "A cluttered mess of crap that takes up five square feet of the living room."

Everyone laughed, and now Graav continued the story.

"So the next day, Aey and I are having war number two hundred twenty-two, and when we're finished we hear someone say, 'I'll bet the Wall is going to be a foot bigger when they get home.'"

"And then," I finished. "Someone else answers, 'I'll bet fifty Gil it'll be three feet.' And Wall-gambling was born." Graav grinned, nodding.

The waitress appeared again, passing out plates with complete composure and raising her eyebrows at me as I glared at Raudy. Luckily, he wasn't given my order again, and I took it from Balgerda with a grin. She smiled tentatively back, and I passed Graav his food.

We kept talking as we ate, exchanging stories, and I got the chance to make fun of both Doram and my brother. Then there was silence, broken only by the munching of food and scattered comments, and we left the restaurant around noon.

"So we meet at the stadium at sunset for a pow-wow, capice?" Doram asked. "Where Ms. Aey will spill all her darkest secrets and we will listen like gossip-hungry little girls."

"Got it," Raudy said dryly. "I can't wait." I laughed.

"I know you're going to love it. We all know you're secretly a girl at heart," I teased, and he growled and tackled me. I fought my way back to a standing position, and finally Graav shouldered between us.

"If you two are done," he said with a raised eyebrow. I chuckled, nodding, and waved to the others as we walked back to the apartment. "So what _have _you been up to on the pilgrimage?" Graav asked, and I wagged my finger at him.

"No, no, no. _That _has to wait until the pow-wow tonight," I interrupted, shushing him. He rolled his eyes as we walked in, leaving the door unlocked behind us, and sat down in the armchair.

"Are you going to say anything about Auron?" my brother asked, and I went quiet.

"I'm going to try to avoid that, but I suppose we'll see," I muttered after a moment, and he nodded.

We spent most of the afternoon talking and catching up, sharing memories and remembering how we used to be snapping at each other's throats all the time. Finally, when the sun went down, I grinned. "Ready to go to a pow-wow?" I asked mischievously. Graav nodded, standing and walking to the stadium, and I followed after him.

"You're late!" Raudy called. As I got closer, I rolled my eyes. They were sitting cross-legged in a circle around a machina fire, grinning like idiots.

"I don't even know why I hang out with you people," I joked, sitting down next to Doram and Graav.

"Well, never mind that," she said, flapping her hand. "On with the story!" I chuckled.

"Where do I start?"

"At the beginning. How you met Lady Yuna, and why you decided to go off and leave us."

"Well, that's hardly fair," I answered, smiling. "Let's see…I was in the sphere pool with Wakka-the Auroch-and I'd met Yuna earlier, but when the fiends attacked I followed Wakka and Tidus through Luca. We fought our way through, and then…Seymour used his aeon to kill all of the fiends. Yuna asked me to travel with her and her guardians, since I said that I didn't really travel with the team or anything, and I agreed." I paused, shrugging. "I met Lulu, and after awhile Yuna asked me to become a guardian on the Mi'ihen Highroad. I think that was where it was, anyway." I carefully avoided mentioning-and even thinking about-Auron, continuing with my story.

I chuckled as I said, "I tried to get Lulu, the black mage, into blitzball, but she stubbornly refused. So I dragged her into the water, but she used magic to freeze it, and we went on like that for awhile.

"The next morning we ended up fighting and defeating the Chocobo Eater, and were given a couple of chocobos to help us across the Highroad. We stumbled upon Operation Mi'ihen, and tried to stop it, but…that really didn't work. I hope you all heard something about that, or at least enough to let you know what it was." Everyone nodded, and I straightened up and continued with my story. "Well…Auron introduced me to Maester Kinoc, and a couple of hours later I decided to be an idiot and go back down toward Sin to try to…I dunno, stop it or something. Needless to say, that didn't go over too well.

"So after we all kind of recovered, we went to Djose, where Yuna got Ixion-the lightning aeon." I laughed once to myself. "One thing that sticks out to me was how she slept late, and then came out with her hair in a complete mess. It was hilarious.

"Anyway, I tried my hand at black magic then, miserably failed, and we kept going. As we were riding the shoopuf across the Moonflow, though-" I stopped as Raudy's eyes widened.

"You rode a _shoopuf?_" he asked disbelievingly. I nodded with some smugness.

"Mm-hmm. Pity you missed it," I told him, laughing once, and then kept going. "So the Al Bhed attacked, and Wakka, Tidus and I jumped in to rescue Yuna. That was a rather…risky battle, since Wakka broke his wrist and I pretty much got my shoulder shattered." I stopped at the incredulous looks, shrugging, and went on. "So we got off the shoopuf, and that was where we met Rikku. She and Tidus were arguing, and then she just randomly asked to be Yuna's guardian. Yuna agreed, and so she had an Al Bhed for a guardian.

"Wakka and I got all fixed up in Guadosalam, and that was where we met Seymour. He…asked Yuna to marry him-I'm sure you've all heard about that-and she ended up rejecting him in the end.

"After that little incident, we visited the Farplane. Neither Auron nor Rikku entered, so I stayed behind as well, and then we left for the Thunder Plains and Macalania."

I talked for hours, avoiding Auron as much as I could and describing everything I had been through. I answered questions, joked about parts of the pilgrimage, but when it came for the reason I left, I really couldn't avoid it any more.

"So what happened?" Doram asked. "You make it sound like it was the best time of your life, so why'd you leave?" I hesitated, shifting and exchanging a glance with Graav.

"Well…it was. I had more fun on parts of the pilgrimage than I've sometimes had in blitzball, but I suppose it all came with a price. I knew Yuna was going to die: that was just what happened. So that was part of it, I guess. The fact that the summoner I was guarding was going to be gone, and there was nothing I could do," I explained, debating on whether or not I should tell them the biggest reason that I had left.

"But I still don't get it," Doram pressed. "You knew that from the start…"

"Well, yes." I sighed. These were the people I had grown up with: this was my family, my home. However much I sometimes wanted to kill them, I still trusted them with everything because I knew I could. "I suppose there were a couple of more reasons."

I sighed again, berating myself for being so distant. "Actually, there _was _another reason. I thought I trusted someone, and I thought they trusted me. But, apparently, they didn't. And when they finally said what they'd been hiding, it was…almost too much for me. I couldn't get used to it, and I was tired of lying and being lied to, so I left. Simple as that."

I knew that most of them had experienced something like this, and I was right. Most of the team sat back in understanding, nodding. "Anyway," I sighed. "That was basically it. Pilgrimage, back home. So what's been happening here?"

Almost immediately, Raudy brightened, and he was off. Describing in detail every single thing that I had missed that we hadn't covered during dinner, and soon everyone else joined in. Spirits were quickly lifted, and we didn't realize that we had stayed up all night until the sun began to come up over the horizon in a watery ball of orange light.

"Alright, no practice today," Graav said with a laugh.

"Good. I'm going to go sleep," Raudy announced, stretching. "Good morning, going to bed now." I chuckled.

"I'll bet I can sleep longer than you."

"You think?"

"Oh, yes." He got a familiar mischievous glint in his eyes.

"How much are you willing to bet?" he asked, and I grinned.

"Excellent. I'll bet two hundred Gil."

"Three hundred."

"Deal." I nodded, winking. "No cheating." Raudy rolled his eyes and turned away, walking back to his house up the street. Graav sighed.

"What am I going to do with you two?" he asked, and I grinned.

"Love us anyway."

"I'll try."

We walked back to the apartment in companionable silence, and as soon as he opened the door I went straight to my room with a, "Wake me up in twenty-four hours," called over my shoulder. Then I closed the door behind me and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**x.X.x**

**Tadddaaaa!**

**Like I said, it's a filler. It was rather fun to write, especially about the whole thing with Raudy putting salt in Aey's Izze. (My friend did that to me once. And then she made me laugh so hard it came out of my nose. I don't really know why you needed to know that, but now you do)**

**Sooo...I really don't think there's much more to write about! **

**Wow. Not too many author notes for this one...**

**Weird.  
**


	27. Pieces of the Puzzle

**Hey! Shortest chapter ever, so just a warning. There's a reason ;)**

**It's all a dream, in case you forgot how the last chap ended. The little un-italicized parts are Aey's thoughts as the dream changes. **

**Disclaimer: BECAUSE YA LOVE, YA LOVE, YA LOVE IS MY DRUG!  
**

**x.X.x**

"_If you believe in formalities so much," he began with another pitying chuckle, "most call me Auron." I wanted to roll my eyes, confused. He kept walking, and after a moment's pause I caught up, staying just behind him but veering off the path as Tidus stalked up to this Auron._

The scene blurred and changed, from our first meeting in Luca to the end of the battle with the Chocobo Eater on the Mi'ihen Highroad.

_I never saw him move: all I knew was that one moment I was being pulled to my death, and the next, Auron was there, slicing the hand clean off with a single-minded intensity. The chocobo-eater bellowed, falling the rest of the way into the gorge, and I clung to the rock for dear life, trying to calm the tremors that threatened to detach my fingers from the cliff-face._

_Auron took my hands and gently pried them off the layers of stone, and I was absently surprised for a moment to feel his hands shaking as hard as I was. I quickly passed it off as an illusion of sorts, confusing me through my own trembling, and he easily lifted me onto solid ground._

"_Are you alright?" the guardian asked quietly, and I nodded, taking a deep breath._

"_I'm fine."_

It shifted again, but this time to Macalania Temple. I smiled in my sleep as my sub consciousness took me back.

"_No worries," Tidus said, putting one foot on the glowing glyph on the floor. "We can break it again." The pedestal reappeared, but broke the magic connection it had provided for the first pillar, and the sheet of ice disappeared on that one as well. Lulu groaned at the unneeded delay, but my eyes widened._

"_You can do that?" I asked Tidus, gesturing to his foot on the glyph. He nodded._

"_The pedestal just comes right back," he said, and then looked up guiltily at the first pillar. "Hehe, oops."_

"_No way," I said, walking forward. "So I can push the pedestal anywhere and it'll just come back?"_

"_Yeah," Tidus answered, and I grinned._

"_Sweet!" I shoved the pedestal off the edge of the Cloister of Trials, watching it fall into the darkness below for a moment, before stepping on the glowing glyph. It reappeared right where it was before, and my eyes widened. "That is beyond awesome." I pushed it off the edge again, then stepped on the glyph, and felt myself beaming like a kid in a candy shop. Lulu rolled her eyes. "You, Aey, are beyond hopeless," she said, and I laughed._

The same place, but a different time. Lulu was laughing as Wakka spoke.

"_Don't know if you've noticed," Wakka interrupted. "But you're pushing a stone pedestal around and stepping on a glyph, ya? There really isn't much to it."_

"_Well, pardon me for adding a little color to the pilgrimage," I answered with a grin, and Lulu covered her face with her hand. "Facepalm," I told her, gesturing. She glanced up at me from under her hand, raising an eyebrow._

"_How much sake did you give her, Auron?" the black mage asked, and he shook his head._

"_None."_

"_Interesting." I rolled my eyes at them both._

"_All right, all right. I'm focused."_

It skipped ahead to Macalania Woods, the colors blurring and changing until a new scene formed.

_He looked up and held his hand out for my own knife, and I passed him the curved dagger he had given me. Auron looked down without a word and began sharpening it as well, taking more deliberate strokes over the arc of the blade._

"_Was Lord Braska's pilgrimage as exciting as this one?" I asked finally with a sad smile, and the guardian didn't look up as he replied, "Not in the slightest. It was eventful, and I'm sure quite interesting for Braska thanks to Jecht and I, but we would have never gotten away from something like this."_

"_Yuna…" I trailed off, shaking my head, and Auron passed my dagger back before answering._

"_She is confused. She only needs time to think, and I believe that Tidus can help her."_

"_He does say whatever crosses his mind," I answered with a laugh, and a small smirk turned the corners of his mouth up._

"_Indeed."_

_I sighed, letting my head fall onto his shoulder without much thought. Auron was still for a moment, possibly from surprise, and after a couple of moments he shifted, draping an arm over my shoulders in response. _

The smile faded, but returned as another scenario appeared, this one quite fresh in my mind: Zanarkand.

"_Nervous?" he asked, and I shrugged._

"_I don't really…like the dark," I answered haltingly. Auron raised an eyebrow._

"_Why not?"_

"_Well, I can't see in it! I could be snuck up on, attacked, and I wouldn't even know until it was too late!" I answered disbelievingly. He cocked his head the slightest bit._

"_I've always found the dark calming. I don't rely on sight as much, though," Auron said matter-of-factly. I nodded, thinking of his left eye that was sealed shut by the long gash traveling from his hairline to his jaw._

"_No, I suppose you don't. I do, though," I replied, still glancing nervously around._

"_Then try not to." His voice was so frank, as if this was a solution I should have thought of long ago. I raised my eyebrows, turning slightly to face him as we walked._

"_And how am I supposed to do that?"_

"_Close your eyes. Try to walk without using sight, and you'll learn to use your other senses better."_

"_And you want me to walk through Zanarkand with my eyes closed?" My voice was incredulous, staring at Auron. _

"_You can open them during battle, obviously," he answered, smiling with a hint of teasing in his normally humorless voice. I chuckled once despite myself._

"_And I'll be tripping over my own feet anytime else."_

"_Only if you rely on your conscious mind."_

The next part was still in Zanarkand, but etched into my mind as one of my fondest memories of the pilgrimage. I supposed that was what my mind was showing me, after all.

"_All right. Tell me when we get there," I said, and Auron gave a pitying, almost teasing laugh. I walked forward a couple more steps, and stopped as I heard him half-stepping, half-jumping across the gap. I hesitated, apprehensively feeling for the jagged stone edge with my toes through my shoes, and Auron's sigh was audible from the other side._

"_Would you like me to catch you?" he asked, and I heard the smirk in his voice. _

"_That might actually be nice," I answered, nodding. "Unless you were being sarcastic." The guardian didn't answer, but I imagined him raising an eyebrow, and guessed that that was exactly what he was doing._

"_Alright. Now jump," Auron said after a moment more. I sighed, stepping back to give myself room to gain some momentum._

"_If I fall and die, it's your fault." I said, still locked and poised to jump._

"_Mm." _

_I rolled my eyes-still closed-then realized that it wouldn't be visible to the guardian, and took a step forward and jumped._

_For a heartbeat I flew, and wondered for a moment if I had misjudged the length of the crack, when Auron caught me easily by the waist and then started swinging me in circles, laughing. Laughing. Truly, finally laughing._

_I opened my eyes, drank in the happiness on his face despite where we were and what we were going toward, and grinned when he set me down. "That didn't seem too hard," the guardian said with an "I told you so," look and a half-smile. I smiled, shaking my head._

"_Not really."_

The image darkened and blurred at the edges, and re-formed in the middle of a conversation that was also burned into my mind. Still in Zanarkand, but now it was much different. Especially now that I knew what was coming, knew what was going to happen, and I couldn't make myself wake up before it did.

"_I'm Unsent, Aey," he said in a low voice, one that still rang with finality. "I'm dead." _

**x.X.x**

**Dooood. Righteous.**

**I need a sugar cookie right now. **

**SHORTEST CHAPTER EVAR. ZOMG O_O**

**Soooo...I'm veerrryyy curious how many people actually think Aey's going to stay in Luca...  
**


	28. Learn to Dance in the Rain

**Whoo hoo! It's another nonsense chapter! ('Cept this one's not fully nonsense)  
**

**Dood. Owl City is the coolest band EVAR.**

**...**

**In any case...pretty long chapter, so I hope that's okay with you people ;)**

**SCHOOL'S OUT. YES YES YEEEEESSSSSS.**

***Ahem* I think I have a couple of new readers! We shall see...**

**Disclaimer: I mean, who ELSE can write a song that makes SOME degree of SENSE and call it "Strawberry Avalanche?"**

**x.X.x  
**

Days passed, and I was distracted and somewhat happy during the day. I played blitzball, lost myself in the swirling currents of the water, but somehow the dream always came back at night. Repeating different parts of the pilgrimage-the good, the bad, and the hilarious-but always ending with that one conversation. Sometimes, before it, I saw the things we had said after those words were spoken, but it always ended with Auron. His confession, and my anger. I always woke up then.

Then, one day, five days after I had been gone, practice was interrupted. The dreams had been becoming more and more frequent, and every morning I woke up shivering. So it was almost hard to believe as a couple of familiar figures walked into the stadium that morning.

"Aey, bank left!" Graav yelled, and I nodded and spun, swerving and then flipping backwards to avoid Doram's kick. As I did, I saw six people I knew well. I stopped mid-flip and stared for a moment. Then, turning over on my stomach, I kicked forward and shot out of the sphere pool.

"Yuna!" I shrieked, knocking into her with a hug. She laughed, apparently not caring about the water dripping from my clothes, and Rikku bounced forward to hug us both. I pulled away, laughing, even as a part of my mind told me not to be so happy. I had left them, after all, but I realized that I missed them all much, much more than I thought I would.

I hugged Lulu as well, and she chuckled.

"You've ruined my dress," the mage complained jokingly, and I grinned.

"Well, get used to it." I turned and dragged Tidus into a hug, did the same with Wakka and even to Kimahri. The Ronso stood stiff, and I smiled as I pulled away. Before I could glance around for him, Tidus said, "Auron said he wanted to buy a new wrist guard or some crap like that. Don't know why he didn't want to come, though." I shrugged indifferently, inwardly sighing but smiling as Tidus made it blatantly obvious that the guardian had been lying.

"Well, I'll see him soon, I suppose. In the meantime," I gestured for everyone to come over. "Meet the team. This is Raudy, Graav, Doram, Balgerda, Abus, and Bickson." I pointed at everyone as I listed them, and Doram nodded cheerfully. Raudy rolled his eyes and gave a mock-salute, and the others just nodded or waved. Graav nodded respectfully at Yuna, saying, "So you're the one who stole my sister." The summoner laughed.

"Yes, I suppose I did," she answered with a smile and a half-bow. He chuckled, looking at the other guardians.

"So…lemme see if I've got this right. You're Lulu, the one who doesn't want to play blitz," he said to the black mage, who sighed and nodded.

"I suppose Aey told you that," she said with a raised eyebrow. Graav dipped his head, grinning.

"And you're Rikku, the one who's perpetually happy and good with machina." Rikku beamed and nodded, and I rolled my eyes skyward.

"Don't do this to me, Graav," I said with a sigh. He winked.

"You bet I will. Anyway, you're Wakka, the Auroch. Tidus, the Abe who nearly broke Aey's shoulder the first time you two met. Kimahri, the Ronso. Yuna, of course. And…I suppose Sir Auron is at the market."

"Probably," I agreed. "You've got it pretty much right." He nodded.

"Alright, great. Anyway…I suppose I'll see you after the pilgrimage."

"I…what?" I asked, confused. Graav chuckled.

"C'mon, Aey. You don't seriously expect me to believe you're staying _here, _do you?"

"Well, I-"

"And besides," Tidus interjected. "If she won't come, then we'll just have to drag her. We _do _have a Ronso and a legendary guardian on our side, both of which I think would be happy to help." I sighed and rolled my eyes, only half-joking.

"I don't think-"

"You're coming with us, Aey, and that's that. Luca'll be here when the pilgrimage is over, but not Sin. You wouldn't want to miss the fight, would you?" the blitzer asked.

"I guess not-"

"Annnd Lola misses you!" Rikku interrupted. I snorted.

"That darn chocobo? Somehow I doubt it. She probably misses being able to throw me forty feet-" I answered, and Rikku beamed.

"So you're coming back?"

"Well-"

"Great! Thanks, Aey!" She bounced off, and I laughed to myself as Yuna looked over her shoulder and nodded before following the Al Bhed girl. I turned to Graav.

"I suppose I don't have much choice," I said with a chuckle. He nodded.

"Nope. There's no way you can beat six guardians and six blitzball players. The odds aren't on your side, sis." My brother winked. "Tell us all about it when you get back." I inclined my head.

"Will do." Beaming, I gave everyone a hug-including Graav-and even forced Raudy into it. He sighed.

"I'll get you back for that," the blitzer said, but he smiled.

"I know you will."

I turned and ran off to catch up with the others, sparing a parting wave to the team before joining the guardians again.

"C'mon, Ms. Slowpoke!" Rikku yelled. "We're waiting!"

"I'm coming!" I answered, flapping my hand at her. As I ran, a flash of red appeared in my peripheral vision, and I skidded to a stop. Glancing at Yuna, who nodded with a smile, I backed up and turned onto the same balcony that I had first met him on, overlooking the ocean. He was standing still, looking over the water with his katana over his shoulder and one arm in his cloak-as always. "Auron?" I asked softly. The guardian didn't turn, and it was impossible to hear how he felt through his voice.

"What is it?"

"I…" I inwardly cursed as my mind went blank, wondering what on earth I could say. Beg for forgiveness? Tell him that I missed him? "Auron, I'm sorry, and I was surprised and angry because I couldn't stop thinking about Seymour, and I know you're not like him but I can't help comparing you and I know I don't need to and that was why I was so angry, but I know now that you're…you're just Auron." I looked up, but he kept staring, looking out over the ocean so that it was hopeless to read his expression. "You're just Auron. You haven't changed, but I…know more about you know than I did before, and now I know that it doesn't change anything. You're just Auron."

I said no more, because I didn't know what else I _could _say, and finally he shifted, still staring at the ocean. I held my breath, hoping that I had said enough. Or if I'd said too much, I hoped that he got my point.

"I know," the guardian said finally. "Thank you." I nodded, smiling sadly.

"You're welcome."

From the inside folds of his robe he withdrew a knife, curved blade and ivory hilt. The guardian easily tossed in the air, flipping it and catching it with the hilt facing me, and I took my dagger back with a sigh of contentment. "I missed this."

"You still have the other one?" he asked with a smirk, and I smiled and nodded.

"In my bag. Although, I do feel more attached to this one. Don't ask me why."

"Actually," Auron said, the half-smile fading. "That one was my…graduation gift, you could say. When I finished my training and became a full-fledged Warrior Monk, Mika presented us all with different weapons."

"And you…gave this to me?" I asked, my voice suddenly growing quieter from disbelief. He dipped his head.

"I never used it after I was no longer a Warrior Monk. It lost its symbolism."

"Oh." I fingered the pommel of the dagger, smiling to myself. "Well, I've certainly gotten much use out of it." The corners of his mouth turned up.

"That's why I gave it to you."

He turned, and I followed as we walked back to the group in silence. But it was comfortable silence, not the tense mood that had crackled every time we were near each other before. I couldn't help but shoot glances every now and then at the guardian walking beside me, and once or twice saw him look back and raise an eyebrow. I smiled.

We got back to Yuna, who nodded.

"Cid's airship is waiting outside the city," she said, gesturing to the north. I couldn't keep another smile from my face, and I dipped my head. It was good to be back.

We followed Yuna to the _Fahrenheit, _and as I boarded Cid grinned.

"What did I tell you?" he asked with a wink. "I told you that you'd be back, didn't I? And look at how right I was!" I chuckled.

"Thanks, Cid." He nodded, stepping aside to let me onto the ship, and we all grouped in the bridge. I drifted over to Lulu as Auron walked off.

"You're not going to follow him?" she asked with a smile. I shrugged.

"I will, but first I had to apologize to you."

"Well, apology accepted. Not that there was any need for it. Now go on." I laughed and nodded, pulling the black mage into a brief hug before turning and walking off. I found Auron in the cabin again, staring out the window.

"Sorry," I said, walking up next to him. He glanced sideways.

"You already apologized, didn't you?" the guardian asked, a hint of a smirk in his voice. "And scared everyone while you were at it."

"I suppose I did," I answered, thinking about the note I had left. I thought for a moment more, and then smiled. "Scared _everyone? _You included?"

"Mm." I took that as a yes.

"I didn't think it was possible."

"It is. More so than I realized."

I was almost surprised at his answer, having no reason to think _he _would be even remotely worried about me. I sighed contentedly, hesitating for a moment and then slipping my hand into his.

"I suppose I'm back now."

"I suppose you are."

We stood like that for a couple of moments, hand in hand, and finally I asked, "What's happened while I was gone?" Auron didn't answer for a second, shifting.

"Yuna was saddened when you left, but she said that you wouldn't appreciate her trying to get you back. We went to Omega Ruins, which I hope you are glad you missed, but after a couple of days Rikku couldn't take it any more. She talked for a little while one night about how it was clear everyone missed you, and so she didn't know why we hadn't gotten you back already. Tidus joined in, and Yuna was persuaded. I think that she was happy to have a reason to go back, though." He shrugged, no more than a slight rise and fall of the guardian's shoulders, and I nodded.

The airship touched down on the Calm Lands with a loud rattling noise, and Auron and I exchanged a look before walking back to the bridge. Cid was bent over the controls, muttering to himself about the "piece of cred," and absently waved at Yuna and the others as we stepped off the ship.

"Hey, Yunie?" Rikku called. "Now that Aey's back, we can go race chocobos, right?"

"I guess so," Yuna answered, shrugging. Tidus grinned.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "Race ya, Yuna!" The blitzer took off, and she laughed and followed. Rikku joined in the race as well, and all three were running across the field and toward Remiem Temple. I chuckled, and out of the corner of my eye saw a yellow blur.

I had barely enough time to scream and duck as Lola barreled into me, tweeting and trying to preen my hair by running her beak through it, chattering happily. She let me up and flapped her wings, making ecstatic clucking sounds and crouching slightly to beckon me onto her back. I smiled and folded my arms across my chest.

"I'm not falling for that," I said sternly, but chuckled as she bobbed her head enthusiastically, stepping back to regain her balance when she made herself dizzy. I sighed, shaking my head, and pulled myself onto the chocobo. She looked back at me, and I groaned when I saw the familiar mischievous light in her black eyes. "Oh, no."

I was nearly thrown backward as Lola shot forward without warning, and I almost screamed again as I fought against the wind and leaned lower, trying to keep my balance and almost not noticing the bird catch up to Tidus, Yuna, and Rikku in seconds and leap over them. Then I laughed at their expressions, waving and continuing to Remiem Temple.

Lola didn't stop, barreling straight across the bridge, and my eyes widened. I closed them and hung on for dear life as the chocobo chattered and danced a little on the planks of wood, finally shaking herself and dumping me off as soon as we were on solid ground. I sighed in relief, opening my eyes, and reeled backwards at a chocobo beak shoved in my face. Lola had nearly gone cross-eyed, staring at me from less than an inch away, and I couldn't help but break into laughter. "You freak," I said affectionately, and she tweeted, still a couple of centimeters away from my face. I shoved her away, standing as Rikku, Tidus, and Yuna caught up.

"That was cheating," he accused jokingly. "No one said that you could use chocobos."

"I didn't know I was going to race until this monster forced me into it," I answered, shrugging, and then stumbled and grabbed a nearby wooden post as Lola butted her head into my back, clucking indignantly. Tidus laughed, and I rolled my eyes. "Little monstrosity," I muttered, dodging another head butt.

After a couple of moments, the others caught up, each on their chocobos. Lola tweeted happily and bounded over to meet Rainbow as Lulu dismounted, rolling her eyes at them both.

"Okay, who's first at the race?" Yuna asked.

"Ooh! Me! Me!" Rikku exclaimed, her hand shooting into the air and bouncing up and down. Yuna nodded at her, smiling.

"Who's going to race Rikku?" she asked. The Al Bhed grinned and pointed at me.

"Because Aey had to go and leave, she has to!" she announced, and I sighed.

"With _my _chocobo? I doubt I'll win."

"Still, you've gotta ra-ace!" Rikku answered in a singsong voice. I nodded, smiling.

"Fine." I remembered reading something about how Remiem Temple was a training ground for wild chocobos to test their strength and speed, and I asked Lola quietly, "You've done this before, haven't you?" She nodded, a competitive glint in her black irises, and fluffed her feathers up as she led me to the starting line.

"See you at the finish!" Rikku called, and I nodded with a smile. Lola chirped at Minnie, the Al Bhed's chocobo, who squawked back. I chuckled, pulling myself onto my bird, and she gave me a look that said, _"Don't be a hindrance." _I could almost imagine her raising an eyebrow, and I nodded.

"No worries." I had a feeling that Lola would probably go straight for once, but I knew that I shouldn't interfere. This was her race, and she wouldn't appreciate some human rider trying to guide her.

A loud beep sounded from somewhere above us, and my chocobo took off. I barely managed to grab the reins and pull myself lower as she ran, watching Minnie begin to catch up to us, and Lola gave a loud screech at Rikku. The Al Bhed looked over in surprise, and I shrugged as well as I could. This was clearly the chocobo's race: not ours.

It didn't stop me from nearly screaming and trying to stop her as Lola suddenly flapped her wings and jumped to the next platform, bouncing like a rubber ball from one level to the next. "What're you-?" I began, but couldn't continue thanks to the chocobo's squawking and gliding. I realized that she was cheating a little, taking shortcuts to get ahead of Minnie.

It worked, and Rikku's bird squeaked indignantly as Lola put one scaly leg down on the finish line a heartbeat before she did. My chocobo turned her beak up and fluffed her feathers up, giving me a mouthful of down, and I sighed and shrugged helplessly at Rikku. The Al Bhed chuckled.

"Lola's a little cheater," she teased, running her fingers through Minnie's plume. Lola clucked and made to snap for Rikku's hand, but I yanked her head back.

"You're going to have to learn some manners," I told her sternly, and she chattered a little, glaring at me. I rolled my eyes, smiling and sighing as Rikku and I guided our birds back to the start.

"Okay, my turn!" Tidus called, nudging Jack forward. He looked over. "Yuna?" he asked formally. "Shall we race?" The summoner laughed, mock-bowing.

"I think that would be splendid," she answered, walking with Jill to the start. The horn above them blared, and both chocobos shot forward like an arrow from a bow. Tidus pulled ahead, looking back at Yuna with a grin on his face, and she chuckled, leaning lower over her bird and apparently urging it forward.

The summoner had apparently learned from Lola, and she steered Jill a little toward the edge. Knowing what Yuna meant, the chocobo jumped and cleared two of the levels, putting its rider ahead of Tidus.

"Hey!" he called, still laughing. She turned around slightly and winked, and I chuckled to myself.

"They're so cute," Rikku sighed, watching the two racing.

"The chocobos or the people?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. She beamed.

"Both! But Yunie and Tidus are an adorable couple, don't ya think?" I shrugged, laughing.

"I suppose."

Jill leapt another level, landing and skidding a bit before stopping right on the finish. Tidus was close behind, and he jumped off his chocobo.

"That was not fair," the blitzer accused jokingly. Yuna chuckled.

"Maybe not." She and Tidus walked back to where the race had started, and I looked at Lulu.

"You going to race?" I asked her, and she shook her head with a disbelieving smile.

"I seem to remember you commenting on how my dress wasn't suited for chocobo-riding," the mage answered skeptically. I chuckled.

"Maybe not, but that shouldn't keep you from racing, now should it?"

"Why don't you ask Wakka?"

"Fine." I turned to the flame-haired guardian. "Wakka, you going to race Lu?"

"You bet I am!" he answered, grinning as Lulu sighed and rubbed her temples.

"All right, fine," she said reluctantly, mounting Rainbow. "But this chocobo better behave or I'm blaming you, Aey." I laughed again.

"Fine with me. Go get 'em."

The horn sounded again, and both the mage and the blitzer shot off, each of them using Lola's method of winning and jumping levels like there was no tomorrow. Lulu couldn't jump as well as Wakka, thanks to her dress, and he won by a second. The two exchanged a few unintelligible words at the bottom of the track, and then both of them walked back up to the start. I looked behind me, at Auron and Kimahri, and walked over. "You're not going to race?" I asked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"I would think the answer would be obvious," Auron replied. "No." I chuckled.

"Aw, come on! It would be fun!"

"I'm afraid it wouldn't."

"Of course it would. Please?" He shook his head, sighing as I kept talking. "When's the last time you had some fun?"

"I don't know."

"You can't remember?" My voice was disbelieving, and he looked up with a raised eyebrow. It was clear I wasn't going to win this argument. "You need to get into blitz or something," I muttered, lightly poking his shoulder. "For now I'll let you get on with your miserable life." He chuckled once, shaking his head, and I glanced up at Kimahri. The Ronso folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, and I sighed.

"You people are such meanies," Rikku accused with a sigh. "You never want to have any fun."

She looked up as a raindrop landed on her head, more quickly following. I hadn't noticed the charcoal clouds above us, and Wakka groaned.

"Aw, this is just great," he muttered. "All we need is _rain._"

"What's wrong with rain?" Rikku asked, twirling a little in the silvery droplets. "I think it's fun!"

"It's-" Wakka didn't get to finish as the Al Bhed called Minnie, mounting the chocobo and then racing off across the bridge, water cascading down her face. I chuckled to myself, and then took a step forward to steady myself as Lola bumped my back with her beak.

"What do you want, you freak?" I asked affectionately. I had come to love the trouble-making chocobo. She gazed up with excited black eyes, looking just like a puppy begging to go for a walk. I smiled, rolling my eyes, and pulled myself onto her, following Rikku. Behind me, Tidus and Yuna did the same, and I dismounted Lola and let her go as soon as we were out of Remiem Temple.

Ahead, Rikku was spinning and dancing in the rain, and she ran up and took both of Yuna's hands, pulling the summoner with her. Yuna laughed and let herself be dragged along, and soon both girls were twirling and tangoing together in the middle of the field. Auron laughed quietly, and I looked over.

"She is very different from Braska, at least around Rikku," he explained quietly, and I wiped the water out of my eyes before replying.

"Rikku definitely has energy," I answered with a laugh, watching the Al Bhed begin to do somersaults and cartwheels. Yuna beamed, laughing, and I smiled as Rikku began trying to teach the summoner how to do her acrobatics.

"Aey! Lulu!" the Al Bhed called. "C'mon!"

"I'm having fun watching you," I answered, and she rolled her eyes and jogged over to take my wrist and pull me away.

"But you'd have _more _fun actually doing it _with _us!" she countered, and I sighed.

"But-"

"No 'buts.' You're coming, missy!" She dragged me out into the middle of the field, and I exchanged a glance with Yuna as Rikku ran back to get Lulu. After a couple of seconds, the black mage finally relented and allowed herself to be pulled into the field. "Okay!" Rikku exclaimed. "Now…" She thought for a moment, and I raised my eyebrows. "I know! Aey, can you teach us how to do a blitzball kick?"

"Um…you might want to get Tidus or Wakka to teach you that…" I said hesitantly, and Rikku folded her arms across her chest and shook her head.

"No way! _You're _going to teach us, right?"

"…Okay…which one? There are a number of different blitzball kicks." The Al Bhed girl grinned when she saw that she had me more or less hooked, and she shrugged.

"Whichever one is your favorite."

"Providing that we can do it, of course," Lulu interjected, and I chuckled when she gestured at her and Yuna's dress.

"So no flipping, I suppose. That kind of limits the possibilities."

"Can you show us a flippy one anyways?" Rikku asked eagerly, and I shrugged.

"Sure, I guess." I glanced at Yuna, who nodded with a curious expression on her face, and I looked up, calling, "Hey, Tidus?" The blitzer raised his eyebrows. "Throw me a blitzball, will you?" He nodded, fishing the ball out of my shoulder bag and hurling it toward me. Absently wondering if I could do this as effortlessly on land, I jumped up and back-flipped, kicking the ball as my legs swung back around. It raced back toward Tidus, who easily caught it with a grin.

"I could do way better than that," he said, and I rolled my eyes with a teasing smile.

"You think you could? Show me." He shrugged nonchalantly, stepping forward and tossing the ball to Wakka. When Tidus was ready, the other guardian threw it, and he easily did the same kick that I had just done.

"It's weird on land," the blitzer said with a laugh. I nodded in agreement.

"That was _not _better than what I just did, though," I said, turning my nose up with exaggerated haughtiness. Tidus raised his eyebrows.

"Was it?" he asked. "Then can you do this?" He threw the ball back at Wakka, who grinned and pitched it back. Tidus used his head to bump the blitzball, and before it could get too far away he ran forward and back-flipped, kicking it as he did. The little orb zoomed back toward Wakka, who barely managed to snag it.

"Of course I can. That's like, the earliest kick we learn, isn't it?" I answered, and he smirked. "Now, can _you _do _this_?" I nodded at Wakka, who chuckled and lobbed the ball back toward me. I front-flipped and kicked it down into the ground, watching it bounce into the air and then knocking it forward with my forearm when it came back down. "That was, technically, a pass. But you get the general idea." Tidus rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I can do that. I can also do this." Again Wakka threw the blitzball, and he spun around and hit it with the back of his hand, raising a foot to kick it back toward the other guardian. I imitated the move when he was done, and then created one of my own.

"Improv-time," I said with a smirk, and Tidus nodded.

I wasn't sure how much time we spent out there, copying each other's moves and making up different moves of our own, but finally Rikku signaled for us to stop. She, Yuna, and Lulu had been watching from the back as Tidus and I rallied, and I noticed that her eyes were wide.

"That's amazing!" the Al Bhed girl said. "You're both seriously good!" I smiled, and Tidus chuckled.

"Thanks," he said, just as I answered the same.

"I imagine you must have spent a lot of your time playing," Yuna said with a faintly admiring look. Tidus nodded.

"Every chance I get," he said with a grin. I dipped my head in agreement, and she smiled.

"I'd like to see you play some more sometime," the summoner said, and Tidus shrugged, nodding.

"Can do."

**x.X.x**

**Tada!**

**And let's just say that at Remiem Temple you can race two people at once, instead of what you can actually do IN THE GAME. Capice? ;)**

**So this was half-nonsense and half-um...not-nonsense. I really didn't know what else to do in Luca, so Aey's back now ^^**

**ANNNND she and Auron are BACH! Whoo hoo! *partay***

**You know ze drill. Dankeshun!**

**Oh, and I TRIED not to make that last part too Sue-ish...hehe...  
**


	29. Cat and Mouse

**HOLA! I'M ALIVE!**

**Real sorry for the lapse in updates, folks. Writer's block, beginning of summer...y'know.**

**Oh, by the way, has anyone ever heard the song Cat and Mouse by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus? It's really good for Auron and Aey, in my opinion...then again, I can get so into my characters that ANY song could be good for them ^^**

**Oh, new reader by the way! Thanks toucanmel94! And, of course, thanks also to ****Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai (it won't let me underline your name, for some weird reason...)**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira! WHOOHOO! 8DDDDDDDDDDD  
**

**Tell me if I forgot someone ;)**

**Disclaimer: I said I'd never leave, you'll never change; I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life. Am I supposed to be happy? With all I ever wanted...it comes with a price. You said, you said that you would die for me...  
We made plans to grow old: believe me there was truth in all those stories that I told. Lost in a simple game, Cat and Mouse, are we the same people as before this came to light? (Cat and Mouse-Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)**

**x.X.x  
**

We camped in the same place as always, and as Rikku built a fire the rest of us unrolled blankets and set up the watch. When everything was quiet but for the muted murmuring of guardians talking, I found Auron sitting on the same small hill he always did, facing the rest of the Calm Lands. I sank down next to him, looking up at the stars.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked finally. He glanced sideways, taking a moment to answer.

"Your little competition this afternoon with Tidus," Auron answered. "You both reminded me of Jecht."

"Did we really?" I asked, chuckling. The guardian nodded. "Anything else?"

"Wondering what you were thinking when you left." My smile faded, and I shrugged.

"I dunno," I muttered. "I was frustrated, for one thing. I already told you about a lot of that. I didn't _want _to leave, but that was the only way I really saw to either get over my own anger or _not _get over it and never have to deal with it again. Those were the only two options I knew." Auron stared up at the night sky, not speaking for a moment.

"I can understand that." After he spoke we sat in silence, and I sighed, hesitating before finally asking, "Hey, Auron?" My voice was softer, and the guardian looked over.

"What is it?"

"When Yuna's pilgrimage is done…will you leave?" He sighed.

"Inevitably, I will be sent. The only thing keeping me here is my promise to Braska and Jecht, because of my attachment to the world from that. When Sin is defeated and both Tidus and Yuna are safe, I will have no more reason to stay in Spira," Auron answered quietly. "So yes, I will leave."

"Do you…do you _want _to leave?" He glanced over, not answering for a moment, and I assumed he was thinking.

"I used to," the guardian said finally, in a halting voice. "I'm…not so sure any more."

"Why not?" I asked, looking up. He shifted, giving a small shrug that was only evident in the tiniest rise and fall of his shoulders.

"I found things in Spira that I hadn't before. I see it differently now."

"Like what?" My voice was genuinely curious, and he gave a small smirk as if he knew something I was missing completely. Then Auron shifted again, shaking his head.

"I would think that it should be rather obvious."

"So you're not going to say anything? Because it 'should be obvious?'" I asked, smiling as I did to let him know that I was half-teasing, and he laughed once.

"You'll figure it out."

"I doubt it."

"Then ask someone if you really need to."

"But why can't _you_ say anything?"

Auron chuckled again, standing without a word and reaching a hand out to help me up. Slightly taken aback, I took it and got to my feet.

"You should get to sleep," he murmured with a half-smile. "If my memory serves me correctly, Yuna wants to obtain Seymour's aeon-Anima-and to do that we will need to visit the other temples. It will be a long day tomorrow." I nodded, sighing, and smiled as well.

"'Night," I said, yawning, and he nodded and turned away. I walked back to the fire, sitting down at the edge of the clearing where I had unrolled my blankets and sitting with my head in my hands. I didn't want to sleep yet.

"You look confused." Lulu's voice come from my right, and I turned as she walked up and sat down next to me. "Anything I can help out with?" I chuckled to myself.

"Not sure. I'm probably missing something."

"Would this have anything to do with Sir Auron?" the mage asked, a small smile turning the corners of her mouth up. I glanced at her in surprise, and she shrugged. "I saw you two talking. Just a mild curiosity."

"Yeah."

"And…?"

I said nothing, knowing that Auron wouldn't appreciate it if I told Lulu what he had told me, so I only gave a noncommittal shrug and started on a different topic.

"So Yuna wants to get Anima tomorrow?" I asked, and Lulu sighed, knowing that I had intentionally veered away from the original subject of our conversation. She didn't press, though, and instead answered, "That was the plan. I imagine Sir Auron has told you what is required to gain Maester Seymour's aeon?"

"A little."

"In each temple there is a treasure chest, obtained by using a hidden Destruction Sphere. We need every chest to be granted access to Anima's fayth. We have already gained the chest from Macalania Temple, Besaid, Bevelle, and Zanarkand, so all we need are the ones from Djose and Kilika. In order to do that, though, we must sneak into the temples because, as you may remember, we have been banned from them as traitors to Yevon," the mage explained, and I nodded, shaking my head and laughing once.

"Sounds like fun. See you in the morning, then."

Lulu dipped her head, and stood after a parting smile, walking to the other side of the clearing. I curled up, watching the fire as I slowly drifted off.

In the morning, Rikku led the way back to the airship, and as soon as we were on Cid said, "Where to?" Yuna shrugged, turning to her guardians, and said, "Kilika first?" We nodded, and she turned back to Cid.

"Right, then," the Al Bhed answered. "Kilika it is!" He said something in incoherent Al Bhed to Brother, who shoved the wheel forward and made the airship rocket through the air. I stumbled and grabbed a nearby railing to keep my balance, and then stood as the ship righted itself and flew smoothly to Kilika. After a moment I turned and wandered the ship, stumbling across Rikku standing in the cabin and swinging a Yo-Yo around. She looked up, grinning when she saw me.

"Hey, Aey!" the Al Bhed said, waving. I nodded.

"Impressive," I answered, gesturing at the Yo-Yo. She laughed, letting it hover about an inch from the floor and then flicking her wrist to send it spinning back up.

"I practice," Rikku answered, beaming. "Anyway, you look like you need help." I chuckled suddenly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, I just have good intuition. Brother says it freaks him out." Her voice was so frank and cheery, I had to smile again.

"I guess I do."

"With what?"

"I doubt you could help."

"Ooh, is it girl stuff?" her voice went higher, and I laughed.

"Well, you would probably be able to help with that. I assume you _are _a girl."

"Oh, of course I am!" the Al Bhed said, lightly punching my shoulder. She was quiet for a moment, and then tilted her head to one side. "Is it Auron?" I looked up in surprise.

"I can see how Brother would be 'freaked out' by your intuition," I said with a half-smile. Rikku's eyes widened, and she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"I knew it! I _knew _that was why you were so angry!" she squeaked, grabbing my hand and dragging me to a room below, complete with a bed and nightstand, along with a table and chair. The Al Bhed pulled me onto the bed and plopped down opposite me, leaning forward. "And I was right, wasn't I? That's why you left and everything-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rikku, slow down!" I interrupted as her voice got faster. "I honestly have no idea what you're saying."

"Auron told you, didn't he?" she asked softly, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"About what?" I didn't want to risk agreeing in case we were talking about two different things, so Rikku hedged a bit.

"Y'know…about him…and…the Farplane…?" she hinted, and finally I nodded.

"The fact that he's…dead, yeah. He told me about that." She was quiet for a moment, and then perked up.

"But I know that you've gotten that outta your system, right? So why are you confused now?" the girl asked, and I didn't answer for a moment.

"But-wait. How do _you _know about that?"

"Oh, I figured it out. Rin helped me a bit, too. Did you know that he was the first to find Auron on Gagazet? And then he took care of him, but Auron left to find Kimahri or something. That's how he knew." She was silent again, and when I didn't reply she repeated her question earlier. "So why are you so weirded out now?"

Now that Rikku and I were pretty much on the same page, I shrugged.

"It's really not a big deal. We were talking, and I asked him if…if he was going to have to leave after Sin was defeated. He said that he was, and so I asked him if he wanted to. He answered that he didn't know, and when I asked why he replied with, 'I found things in Spira that I hadn't before.' So I inquired as to what exactly that was, and he wouldn't tell me because 'it should be obvious.' That's pretty much why I've been confused. Just thinking," I explained, but as I talked a slow smile had spread across Rikku's face. "What is it?" I asked, and she jumped up, taking my hands and pulling me up with her, beaming.

"Oh, I knew it! I knew it I knew it I knew it I _knew _it!" the Al Bhed exclaimed happily, dancing in a circle around the room.

"Then what am I missing?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, and she stopped and looked up, her green eyes sparkling.

"Ra mujac oui, Aey! Ra naymmo, naymmo mujac oui! Ur, E _ghaf _ed!" Rikku shrieked in Al Bhed, twirling around. I threw my hands up.

"You know I don't have any idea what you're saying!" I exclaimed irritably. "Spiran, please?"

"Nope! No way!" Rikku said happily. "You get to figure this one out on your own."

"Come _on_," I muttered as she bounced out of the room and back to the bridge. I followed as the airship touched down in Kilika, and then walked out after a disbelieving shake of my head. Rikku jumped out of the _Fahrenheit, _still beaming, and I shrugged helplessly at Lulu. "What are you going to do?" I sighed, and the mage smiled.

"Rikku will be Rikku," she answered, eyeing the Al Bhed that was walking happily ahead of us as we made our way toward Kilika. Yuna turned and waved at Cid, who nodded, and then she caught up with her guardians. Auron had stopped and was waiting, and as Yuna caught up he said, "It will not be easy getting into the temple."

"Should we wait until night, then?" Yuna asked. Auron nodded.

"If you are willing. It may be possible, but not without more danger," he answered, and she dipped her head.

"What do we do while we wait?"

"Anything. So long as we stay out of sight." Yuna nodded, and then started toward a tiny forest on the island's coast. She emerged through the canopy with her guardians behind her on a picturesque beach, and almost immediately after building a quick campfire Rikku danced off to play in the surf.

"If we have to wait until nightfall," the summoner said with a smile in the Al Bhed's direction. "We might as well relax."

"Mm," Auron murmured. As the guardians dispersed-some going into the water, others sitting around Rikku's fire and talking quietly-the red-cloaked guardian stood and walked into the forest. After a moment, I caught up.

"Mind if I tag along?" I asked, and he shook his head, the tiniest smile on his face. In my peripheral vision, I saw Rikku beaming and waving from the ocean, and I lifted my fingers in response. She laughed, falling back into the water, and I walked alongside Auron in silence for a couple of minutes. "Where, exactly, are you going?"

"The fiends will determine that," he answered after a sideways glance at me. "I'm just fighting for fun."

"I thought you didn't have fun," I answered with a smile. "Would you care if I joined you?"

"Not at all."

After that we trekked quietly, and Auron looked around every now and then. A couple of minutes passed, and then a small smirk appeared on his face. He didn't try to hide: only stood silently as a giant, dragon-like creature charged out of the undergrowth. Faster than I thought he could move, the guardian whipped around and brought his katana down, slicing into the creature's thick skin. "Another fiend is coming," Auron said calmly as he fought, as if he were only standing still and making pleasant conversation. "Think you can handle it?" There was a smirk in his voice, and I chuckled, pulling my gloves on.

"I think I can." I darted around to Auron's back, staying out of the range of his katana and blocking the lithe, lizard-like creature that flitted out of the brush, lashing out with a punch and while it was stunned taking my dagger out as well. I punched again, scraping along its flank and then missing with my dagger as the fiend hopped out of the way, flaring out its hood and hissing. I threw the curved dagger now and, though the blade made it veer off course, it still sank into the creature's wiry chest. It shrieked and collapsed, melting into pyreflies while I retrieved the dagger and turned to Auron. He nodded, smirking.

"Good fight," the guardian said. "Though I might recommend using the knife actually meant for throwing next time." I smiled, rolling my eyes.

"Well, it still worked. Anyway, we keep going?" I asked, and Auron dipped his head, leading the way down the trail. It wasn't long before another of the gargantuan, dragon-like creatures attacked, though this one had another close behind, and the guardian murmured, "Stay at my back." I nodded, and he leapt forward, swinging his sword and fending off the first. I backed up as the second advanced as well, doing my best with my daggers and gloves to keep it away from Auron, but I could only hold it off for so long. It was huge, after all, and my knives merely glanced off the creature's thick hide. Thankfully, Auron was finishing off the first, and he quickly turned to me, moving in front to stand between fiend and guardian. It still tried to get around him, snapping for me, and I backed up as Auron shoved it away, his katana piercing through the fiend's scaly skin.

Even as he did, another huge, wasp-like creature burst out of the bushes and hovered overhead. I fumbled once, withdrawing the throwing knife from its sheath at my belt and flicking my wrist to send it spinning toward the insect. It hit home, flying into the creature's abdomen and falling back to the ground as the insect burst into a flood of pyreflies.

Auron finished his own fight and turned back to me, and I nodded with a smile. He dipped his head in return, and said, "This way." The guardian walked along the trail and I followed, and for hours after that we practiced, 'fighting for fun' and honing our skills. Not that Auron had much need to, but I found that it helped much more than I had first thought.

We also talked as we made our way down the trail, and for awhile I teasingly pestered him about what he had said on the airship. He smirked and didn't answer, shaking his head and then beginning to question me about my own life back home in Luca. I told him about the Wall, about dinner with the team when I had first arrived back, about the "pow-wow" we had had, and then described the team. Raudy, the pest that I loved anyway; Balgerda, the shyest and newest player on the team; Doram, one of my best friends; Bickson, the only "normal" person; Abus, the one who didn't talk much; and Graav, my brother.

By the time I had finished, there wasn't much more to talk about. So we fought, going back to the camp for food around midday.

"Hey!" Rikku called as I sat down next to Lulu around the fire. "Where've you been all this time, huh?"

"Forest," I answered, taking a bite of the bread in my hands. "Practicing."

"Practicing for what?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. I shrugged.

"Fighting, I s'pose."

"What about you, Auron?" The Al Bhed turned to him, and he raised an eyebrow, either not eating or already having finished.

"Same thing," I answered for him, and she rolled her eyes. "Done interrogating?" I asked with a smile, and Rikku answered with a sigh, "I guess. You're all such killjoys. You won't tell me _anything_!"

"I think I've told you a fair amount," I replied with a disbelieving chuckle. She suddenly grinned.

"Oh, right. Yep."

After that, there was silence, and when we had finished I began to stand as Auron did.

"Going back out?" Lulu inquired, and I nodded.

"Want to come?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay, then. Don't blame me if you miss out," I answered teasingly, and she smiled, rolling her eyes skyward.

"I won't."

I laughed, and then followed Auron into the forest, going deeper so that we could pick up where we had left off.

"You aren't going to stay?" he asked absently as we walked. I shrugged, replying, "No. It's more fun out here, in my opinion." The guardian inclined his head, and then stopped at a rustle in the bushes, turning around as they parted to reveal a Ragora: a huge, plantlike fiend. I backed up, taking a dagger out, and he glanced sideways.

"This might be a good time to practice your black magic," the guardian said with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes, saying jokingly, "I'll either end up accidentally hitting a tree or I'll get myself killed."

"Would I let that happen?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. I smiled, shrugging.

"I hope not."

"Then try it."

I sighed, nodding and trying to concentrate on the fiend as Auron fought it. I tried to keep my gaze away from him for fear that-if the spell really did work-I would end up hitting him instead. I sighed and gave up when the smallest flame sparked just above one of the creature's "flowers," and pulled my dagger out.

"No use," I said to Auron, who chuckled once.

"You'll get it."

**x.X.x**

**Lost in a simple game, Cat and Mouse, are we the same people as before this came to light?**

**...**

**ANYWAY, hopefully there'll be another chapter up soon. I know this one ended kind of fast, because I had like, three more pages that I just couldn't tack on at the end, so I broke it up where I could.  
**

**OH, and AEY doesn't have to know what Rikku said, but WE have an awesome little thing called an online Al Bhed translator. Of course, if you're fluent in Al Bhed, then you already know ;)**

**By the way-I just remembered this-I know that you ARE actually allowed to go into temples after the whole thing with Maester Mika saying that Al Bhed spread rumors about you, etc etc etc. But it's more fun this way, don't ya think? ^^**

**...  
**

**Ugh, busy schedules DO NOT suit me. I just get so irrationally angry when I can't fit something else in or sleep late or something. I like being home, with my computer and my writing~**

**Anyway, you all know the drill by now. Danke schoen! (did I get it right that time?)  
**


	30. Field Trip

**HOLA!**

**Sooo, another chapter up! **

**Yeah. SUMMERRRRRRRR. 8DDDDDDD**

**So I think I might have a new reader, but WE SHALL SEE... **

**Disclaimer: Has anyone ever heard ANOTHER song called Crawl by Superchic[k]? It's pretty darn awesome.**

**x.X.x  
**

Again we fought and talked, fought and talked, and finally began making our way back to the campsite when the sunlight touched the horizon. When Auron and I got there, we found everyone in the middle of preparing for sneaking into the temple, and Yuna nodded at us as we began helping.

When everyone was ready, the summoner led the way up the stone steps and to the temple, staying to the shadows and walking as quietly as possible toward the building. There were only two guards posted at the front, but the plan was to enter a hole in the ceiling that was used to let smoke out of the temple and therefore avoid them altogether. Of course, the more nimble guardians would have an easier time of it than the others.

It had been Auron's idea in the first place, but I guessed that he was now regretting telling Yuna about it. He had told me himself while we were practice-fighting that he had never really liked climbing or falling-and the latter was what seemed to happen more often. I had laughed and told him that I hadn't, either: especially falling. Most of the time I either hurt myself or nearly killed myself with a clumsy landing.

Yuna led the way around the side of the temple, climbing onto the roof and gesturing for Tidus to go first. After him came Wakka, and then Rikku, Kimahri, me, Auron, Yuna, and Lulu. We all crouched on the roof as the guardians in front lowered themselves into the opening in the roof and dropped as silently as they could to the ground. I hesitated, sighing.

"Go," Auron murmured. "Land on the balls of your feet." I nodded, stepping forward and hanging onto the edge of the hole with my fingertips. For a moment I dangled in midair, and then let go, falling and hitting the ground with a shock that ran up my legs as the front parts of my feet absorbed the impact. Auron came soon after, nonchalantly dropping through the ceiling and landing lighter than I had thought possible. I raised an eyebrow, keeping my voice low.

"I don't see why you hate falling so much. Looks like second nature to me," I said, and he smirked.

"That came from falling too many times to count and eventually learning how to land," he answered. I smiled.

"Mm-hmm."

As soon as Yuna and Lulu had dropped through the opening, the summoner led the way to the Cloister of Trials. We had already done the main part, but now we had to figure out how to find the Destruction Sphere. Auron didn't know any more than we did this time: any Destruction Spheres we had gotten before now were the only ones he remembered gaining with Lord Braska. The majority of the temple was completed, and so all Yuna had to do was trial and error.

She sent different guardians to check out different parts of the Trials, and for a couple of minutes we all explored: taking out spheres, putting them in, pushing pedestals, touching glyphs, and whatever else we felt like doing. Finally, Auron's low voice echoed from a small, dead-end hallway to the left.

"Yuna." The summoner looked up.

"You found it?" she whispered, her eyes brightening. He nodded, and I followed Yuna over. Auron was standing next to a small opening in the wall, and in the niche in front of him was a scarlet glowing sphere. The summoner nodded at him and took it, saying, "Lulu found a place to put it, too." She made her way back through the Trials, back to the pedestal sitting near a staircase, and held out her hand for the Destruction Sphere Tidus had come over with. He shrugged and gave it to her, and she inserted the flickering red orb into a small hole in the wall. It began to pulsate, and Auron stepped forward.

"Get back," he said to Yuna, who turned and then stepped back just in time as the wall exploded into fragments and fell, some of the pieces landing right where the summoner had just been.

"Thank you," Yuna answered, and Auron only dipped his head as she inspected the new tunnel in the wall. A dusty, beaten treasure chest sat quietly behind it, and Yuna opened it to reveal a Red Armlet, which she handed to Kimahri. He nodded, and then she turned to her other guardians. "Are we done here, then?" the summoner asked, and there was scattered mumblings and nods. Yuna nodded, and then set a brisk pace back toward the entrance. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling, and then back down.

"Looks like we didn't think about getting back out," Tidus observed with a chuckle. "Any ideas?"

"We could climb," Rikku suggested in a chirpy voice, and I laughed disbelievingly.

"_You _could. Not me. At least, not straight up like that."

"Check if the guards are still there," Auron interjected, and I nodded with a shrug, going to the door of the temple and peering through the small crack between it and the wall. Sure enough, they were there, talking quietly and glancing back every now and then. I shook my head, turning back to the other guardians and sighing.

"Looks like the only way out is back up," Tidus said with a roll of his shoulders. "Well, let's go."

I muttered to myself as Rikku scampered back up the wall, finding footholds with almost disturbing grace in the rocky wall and reaching the ceiling within moments. She grabbed the rim of the hole, pulling herself up, and I sighed.

"There's no way I can do that," I growled, and Lulu smiled.

"Good to know I'm not alone. You're better dressed for it, though, aren't you?"

"I don't have the skill. I could be in a ball gown and it wouldn't make any difference," I muttered, and the mage laughed quietly.

"Mm."

Rikku stuck her head back through the hole, calling softly, "C'mon, Kimahri!" The Ronso shook his head, but was almost as accustomed to climbing as the Al Bhed girl. Having probably lived on Gagazet for some of his life, he knew the rocks and the cliff-faces: along with how to climb them. "Aey, your turn!" Rikku whispered, grinning, when he had made it up.

I grimaced, but started up the wall and almost immediately got stuck, letting myself slide back down.

"Think I could have some help or something?" I hissed after another failed try, and Rikku shrugged. Then her eyes brightened.

"Hey, there's a rope up here!" she said, beaming. "How 'bout that?"

"That'd be nice."

Frayed and worn, the rope was lowered slowly through the hole, and I wrapped my hands around it and hung on for dear life as Kimahri pulled me up. After me, Auron climbed on his own, and then Tidus, Wakka, Yuna, and Lulu. When we were all out and standing on the roof, we jumped back down to the ground-a short fall, thanks to the hill that sloped up right next to the temple-and then made our way back to the campsite.

"That was fun," Auron murmured with a smirk as everyone began to rebuild the fire and unroll blankets, and I chuckled.

"Sure. And then we get to do the same at Djose, don't we?"

"Indeed."

Morning came, and Yuna set the pace as we walked back to the airship. Cid nodded at us, and once we were all boarded she turned to her guardians.

"Should we go somewhere else so that we don't have to wait the day out again?" the summoner asked, and Tidus nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Where?"

"If we have nothing more to do, perhaps we could return to Besaid," Lulu suggested. "There are many people that are worried about you there."

"Okay," Yuna agreed, and when everyone else nodded, she turned back to Cid. "Will you take us to Besaid?"

"Sure will, kiddo!" he answered with a grin. "Brother! Dyga ic du Besaid!" Brother nodded, and then the airship jerked forward.

It was a short trip from Kilika to Besaid, and within thirty seconds the ship touched down at the edge of the island. "Didn't want to freak the villagers out, now did we?" Cid asked with a hearty laugh, and Yuna nodded with a smile as she got out.

The summoner led the way to the village in the heart of Besaid Island, and she was almost immediately greeted by a couple of small children who slammed into her with hugs. Yuna laughed, and beamed at an old woman coming up to Tidus and knocking him over the head with her cane.

"You haven't gotten into any more trouble, have you?" she asked the blitzer, and he rubbed the back of his neck in a very Wakka-like gesture.

"I guess not…"

"Good!" Without another word, she promptly walked away, and Yuna chuckled.

"I suppose she has a good memory," the summoner said with a wink. Tidus smiled.

"Yeah."

I looked around the village, but my thoughts were interrupted by a couple of children running up to me and asking animatedly, "Who're you?" Another one chimed in with the first.

"Are you a blitzball player, too?"

"Hey! Didn't you beat the Aurochs?" At this, a couple of them looked angry, and I laughed, kneeling down to their level before replying.

"Yes, but _I _thought that they were one of the best teams we've ever had to play against," I said, and this brought the grins back on their faces.

"Really?"

"So are you Yuna's guardian?"

"Will you play with us?

"What's your name?"

"Okay, okay, slow down!" The children immediately stopped talking, and I smiled. "Yes, I'm Yuna's guardian, yes I'll play with you, and my name's Aey."

"Okay! What should we play?" one of them asked happily. What I supposed to be the "leader" of the group took a moment to think, declaring finally, "Hide and Seek! Aey's it!"

"What should I count to?" I asked, smiling.

"Four thousand!" he exclaimed with a grin, and I laughed.

"Four thousand? I can't count to that high!" I answered, and he giggled.

"Okay, I'll let you count to…twenty!"

"All right, twenty it is."

"Count over there!" The little boy pointed toward a nearby hut, and I nodded, walking over there and closing my eyes, smiling as someone called, "No peeking!"

"One, two, three…" As soon as I got to twenty, I said the traditional, "Ready or not, here I come!" and smiled over at Yuna, who was being subjected to the same kind of torture. She, however, had to give piggyback rides. The summoner laughed, nodding back, and I began searching the village.

I chuckled to myself when I saw a pair of sandaled feet sticking out from behind a tree, and I walked over. "Now, I wonder if there's anyone over here…" I said, just loud enough, and the girl hiding gasped, the feet disappearing. I smiled, beginning to walk slowly around the tree, and as I did I heard her scooting the opposite direction. I quietly began walking the other way, and peered around the trunk with a, "Found you!"

"Aww," she sighed.

"You think you can help me find some other people?" I asked her, and immediately she perked up.

"Okay! I'm Alice."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you, Alice. Tell me if you find someone, and make sure to let them know that you're on my team." She beamed, turning and yelling, "I'm on Aey's team!" I laughed, giving her a thumbs-up, and she nodded and ran off, looking everywhere as I continued my own, more methodical search. Within moments, Alice called, "I found someone!" and I walked over to her. She giggled and pointed at a little boy with a pout on his face, who had apparently been hiding in a nearby bush.

"Great job," I congratulated Alice, and then turned to the boy. "You want to be on our team, too?"

"Is that against the rules?" he asked, cocking his head to one side. I shrugged.

"That's how I used to play." I smiled as I remembered that everyone-I had usually played with my team when we were younger-had always ended up ganging up on one person when they were all found. It had created some very hilarious moments.

"Okay, then!" He yelled the same thing Alice had-"I'm on Aey's team!"-and then turned back to me. "I'm Connor."

"Alrighty, then, Connor. Let's go see if we can find some other people." With both their help, everyone else was discovered quickly, and eventually we were all looking for one person. She was found, and then the supposed leader of the group that I had seen earlier-he was introduced as Komo-met in the middle of the village to plan what to do next.

"Actually," Yuna said, coming up to them and smiling. "Mrs. Beal wants to meet the new guardians, so Aey needs to come, too."

"Awww…" Alice muttered. I chuckled.

"I'll probably be back. We'll see," I answered, kneeling to give her a hug. She nodded, and I smiled and followed Yuna.

"I didn't know you were so good with children," the summoner said with a laugh. I shrugged, smiling.

"I used to babysit for money when I was a teenager. When I had time, of course," I answered, and she dipped her head.

"Anyway, a woman named Mrs. Beal wants to talk to you, Sir Auron, and Rikku. She says that she remembers Sir Auron from when he and my father visited Besaid, but she wants to speak to him anyway, for old times' sake."

"Sounds good." Yuna led me over to a woman sitting next to the place where the bonfire burned at night, and Rikku waved. I nodded, and then sank down next her, sitting cross-legged.

"So you're the Goer," the woman, Mrs. Beal, said. Her eyes were crystal clear, not dulled at all by age, and I nodded.

"That's me."

"And the Al Bhed." She turned to Rikku, who nodded cheerfully.

"Yep!"

"How did you two meet Yuna?" she asked, and Rikku nodded for me to go first, smiling. I shrugged.

"In Luca, after the game between the Aurochs and the Goers. I followed Tidus and Wakka out of the sphere pool when the fiends attacked, and after Maester Seymour got rid of them all I met Yuna."

"And you?" Mrs. Beal turned to Rikku, who shrugged and said in a chirpy voice, "Oh, I met her in Macalania Woods after they'd crossed the Moonflow. I think I accidentally attacked them."

"Yeah, you did. Broke my shoulder while you were at it," I joked, smiling, and Rikku laughed.

"Sorry!" she apologized, and the woman gave a chuckle.

"I'm sure you two are very entertaining additions to the pilgrimage," she answered. I gestured at Rikku, saying, "She certainly is."

"But _she _fell off a chocobo at least five times," Rikku countered, and I rolled my eyes teasingly. "Annnd she couldn't do black magic to save her life."

"Oh, that's very nice. You're so polite."

"Just saying the truth, here!" the Al Bhed answered innocently, and then looked up, her eyes widening as Brother walked into the village. She tilted her head to one side and stood, and Brother walked over.

"Dra yencreb ec pnugah," he said, an demanding tone in his voice. "Vydran dumt sa du lusa yht kad oui du veq ed."

"Famm, fro lyh'd oui veq ed ouincamv?" Rikku asked in exasperation, and then explained to us, "Dad wants me to go fix the airship. That okay?"

"Yes, fine," Mrs. Beal answered. "Go on." She nodded and ran off, Brother barely keeping up with his sister, and then the woman turned back to me.

"Have you talked with Auron yet?" I asked after a moment, and she shook her head, smiling.

"You don't seem very formal with him," the woman answered, and I shrugged, not knowing exactly what she meant.

"I was kind of introduced to him as 'Auron,' so I just kept calling him that instead of 'Sir Auron.' Is that what you mean?" I asked, and she nodded.

"More or less. Would you go and get him?"

I dipped my head and stood, walking over to where the guardian was standing and saying when he looked over, "Mrs. Beal asked for you." He nodded, following me and then sitting down tensely on the log where Rikku had just been sitting. The woman's eyes sparkled. "Changed, haven't you?" she asked wryly, and he said nothing. "And just as respectful as always. Yuna is quite the lucky summoner."

Auron dipped his head in gratitude, and I noticed that the usual mocking smirk on his face was gone. For a moment, the woman sitting opposite him regarded him with curious eyes, and he dropped his gaze. I assumed it was the Warrior Monk training that had made this mindless respect an automatic reaction, and I couldn't help but feet a surge of admiration, pity, and pride all mixed together. Then she sat back, smiling. "How did you two meet?" Auron said nothing, only looked at me, and I shrugged.

"Like I said, I met Yuna in Luca, and Auron more or less saved me from a couple of fiends before Seymour could actually eliminate them all. After Yuna asked me to join the pilgrimage-though not yet as a guardian-I got to know Auron a little more." I stopped, not knowing what else to say, and then for a moment there was an awkward pause. Mrs. Beal smiled, saying tactfully, "Alright, it seems that I have kept you two for too long, and it looks as if Summoner Yuna would like you back." She gestured, and I nodded, turning to see Yuna waving us over. She was waiting at the edge of the forest, and I followed her and the others back to Cid's airship. The sun was high in the sky, and I guessed that it was around noon. The summoner boarded the airship with her guardians, turning to them when Cid had the _Fahrenheit _up in the air.

"Where to now?" she asked, and for a moment no one answered. "Well, we could visit Luca, Macalania, the Thunder Plains…"

"Definitely not the Thunder Plains," Rikku announced, as if there was no question about it. "So…how 'bout Luca?"

"We were just there, weren't we?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Well, then we'll go again!"

Yuna laughed, saying, "Alright. Luca sounds fine." She turned to Cid, who nodded with a mock-salute and rambled some Al Bhed to Brother. He nodded and replied, and then pushed a couple of buttons and we were off. It didn't take long to reach my hometown, either, being a couple of miles or so away from Besaid, and we landed just outside the city.

"Okey dokey, Aey, you lead the way!" Rikku chirped, and I chuckled. "Okay. Where to?"

"The sphere pool!" the Al Bhed commanded, and I smiled, turning to everyone else.

"The stadium?"

"Sounds good," Tidus answered, and I nodded.

"Okay." As promised, I led the way, and had barely set foot in the blitzball stadium when Doram appeared, smiling.

"Hey!" she called, and I nodded and waved. "How's it going?"

"Okay. You?"

"Fine. I'll go tell the team you're here." She grinned and walked off, and beside me Lulu asked, "Do they spend all their time here?" I laughed.

"Not _all _the time. We still have to eat sometimes, you know. And sleep, every now and then," I joked, and she rolled her eyes. "I think we just caught them in the middle of practice or something." At that moment, my brother and the four others Doram had fetched walked out, some with towels slung over their shoulders and others still wringing the water out of their hair. Apparently, we'd caught them just after practice, and Graav waved.

"What're you doing back so soon?" he asked, shaking his hair out like a wet dog. I rolled my eyes.

"It was Rikku's idea. Don't ask me."

"Nice. Anyway, hi."

"You certainly seem to be in a good mood," I said with a chuckle. He smiled.

"I was kind of hoping you'd come back, since we just heard about this thing in a couple of days."

"Oh? What is it?" I asked, and Graav shrugged.

"Just a dance-party combination. Doram thought you'd like to go."

"It sounds like-" I began, but was interrupted by Rikku springing up.

"Fun!" she squealed. "It sounds like _fun_! Oh, can we go, Yunie? _Please_?" The summoner smiled.

"I suppose," she agreed. "When is it?"

"Three days from now. It's just a little thing for 'the young adults of Luca.' Some weird sponsor thing or something, but we all agree that it sounds alright."

"Okay," Yuna said, smiling. "We'll be there."

"You bet we will!" Rikku said happily. "And we've got to go shopping for dresses, and then we need to figure out if we're going to go _with _anyone or if all us girls are just going to stick together…" She kept going, rambling on until Yuna chuckled at Graav, who gave an understanding smile.

"Sounds good. We're going to explore Luca a little more," the summoner said, cupping one hand across Rikku's mouth. She gave a muffled protest, but folded her arms across her chest and said nothing.

We toured Luca a little bit, and when the sun began to set we walked back to the airship, getting ready to pillage Djose Temple.

"This should be fun," I muttered. At my side, Auron gave a low chuckle and nodded.

"Mm."

**x.X.x**

**Little bit of a short chapter (compared to some of the others), so hope you don't mind that.**

**In any case, has anyone ever read the Hunger Games? It's actually REALLY good, if a bit disturbing. If you haven't I'd STRONGLY recommend it. But if you try to go onto the website and play some of the games...they're good, but let's just say they're hard. I wouldn't last TWO MINUTES as a tribute. **

**Me: "ZOMG LOOK IT'S A PRETTY SHINY BOW AND ARROWS AND IT'S ALL _MINE_!" *runs toward the Horn* *stabbed* *dies***

**...**

***ahem***

**IN any case, I needs to get back into swimming. I mean, seriously. WHY do I have to hate exercising so much? **

**Because I'd much rather be on the computer, that's why. Technology sucks.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading!  
**


	31. Baaj Temple

**HOLA. I'M NOT DEAD! 8DDDDD**

**Yeah. Sorry about the freakishly long delay, but you know how writer's block goes.**

**DOOD. I DON'T GET TO GO TO TEH SWIM MEET THIS WEEK. AND IT'S THE ONLY ONE I'VE ACTUALLY WANTED TO GO TO ALLLLL SEASON.**

**You just can't win, can you?**

**Anyway, REALLY sorry about the delay, and thanks to...**

***drumroll***

**Boredom Queen of Insanity, (NEWWWW!), ****toucanmel94, ****Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai (XD Ms. Awesome-Not-Underlined)**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira! I FEEL SO LOVED. (As always, tell me if I forgot you)**

**Disclaimer: I mean, I actually KNOW why my breast stroke was so slow, and I FIXED IT. So I don't get to go to the meet. Mehhhh.**

**x.X.x  
**

As soon as the world was completely engulfed in darkness, Yuna led the way into Djose. Fortunately, it didn't reside in a town or village, so we only had to hide from the guards. However, there was no secret entrance for this one.

"What are we going to do?" the summoner asked in a low voice, hidden away from the temple. I shrugged.

"Knock the guards out, sweet-talk them into letting us in, disguise ourselves, create a diversion, take your pick," I muttered back, and she sighed, clearly thinking.

"What else can we do? I mean, they're not going to let us in, and we can't create a diversion very well, so what other thing is there to do but make sure they're unconscious?" Rikku chimed in, shrugging. "It's not like it would be too hard or anything. And that way we'd be able to get in and get out without much event."

"I suppose…" Yuna murmured, clearly reluctant to resort to violence.

"There's not much of an other option," Auron said finally, and that convinced her. She nodded, and then turned to Wakka, Rikku, and I.

"Which one of you wants to do the job?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"Wakka's sleep attack might be best, and then either Rikku or me could sneak up on the other guard so that he doesn't raise the alarm or anything. The summoner looked at Wakka, who folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

"I got it, ya?" he answered, giving a thumbs up. "Which one of you wants to get the other guard?" He turned toward Rikku and I, and she jumped up.

"Okay!" the Al Bhed whispered earnestly, and I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Looks like the job went to Rikku. Not that I'm complaining or anything," I replied, and she nodded.

"Yup!" the Al Bhed answered happily. Too late, Auron hissed, "Keep your voice down!" But one of the guards had already turned toward us, and was beginning to walk toward where the noise had been heard. Auron nodded at Wakka, who threw a sprinkle of black powder over his blitzball and launched it at the guard. It hit his stomach and he doubled over, almost immediately crumpling into an unconscious heap. In the same instant, Rikku darted forward and gave the other a good punch, and he was out as well.

"That worked," Lulu said dryly. Yuna gave a nervous, breathy laugh.

"Well," she said hesitantly. "Shall we go?" Her guardians nodded, and the summoner led the way into Djose. She went uneventfully through the main room, operating on memory, and then made it to the two pillars floating via lightning crackling in the middle of the room. As the group jumped across, Yuna continued up the elevator-like platform in the middle of the temple, nodding at the others to push the five pedestals around the room into their own slots, and a stone wall rumbled open to display a stone staircase. Still, this was all as we had done the last time we were here.

Evidently, Auron had found the Destruction Sphere earlier, and he took the lead as we ascended the stone steps, placing it in a pedestal in the middle of the room. A piece of the wall to our right crumbled out of existence, and behind it sat a small chest. Yuna moved forward to open it, withdrawing a Magic Sphere and pocketing it.

"That was fast," I muttered to myself, and Tidus shrugged.

"So…" Yuna began, turning back to everyone else. "I guess we have all of them now?"

"To Anima," Auron agreed. Yuna nodded as we walked slowly back to the small inn just outside Djose, and almost every guardian but Auron went in to spend the night. The woman behind the counter, apparently, didn't recognize any of the guardians, and Yuna tactfully hid her staff-and herself, to some extent-behind Kimahri. However, when Auron didn't return to the inn after an hour or so, I ventured back out and found him near Mushroom Rock, where the doomed Operation Mi'ihen had been held. He was fighting, something I wasn't surprised at, and finished off the dragon-like fiend as I walked up. I could have sworn that I saw anger burning in his eyes, but that was hidden again as he turned to me.

"I take it you're not fighting because you need to practice," I said after a moment, looking at the pyreflies twisting and spinning in the air, floating lazily into the sky until they faded away.

"No."

"Can't sleep?"

"That, too."

"So…what's wrong?" I asked, and he said nothing for a moment. I followed the guardian's gaze down to the shoreline, where Sin had obliterated dozens of Crusaders and Chocobo Knights alike.

"Thinking," he said finally.

"About what?"

"Operation Mi'ihen. Do you remember how you ran back down to the ocean while Sin was attacking?"

I chuckled nervously, saying, "Yeah. Sadly, I remember that perfectly. And you yelling at Kinoc, and then your whole lecture to me, and then ranting to Lulu for a little while about life in general, and anything else that happened." He gave a low laugh.

"Mm-hmm."

"So what else is eating you?"

"Why you always want to know exactly what I'm thinking."

"Oh, please. I find your thoughts very interesting, especially considering how often you don't share them."

"Do you really?"

"Yep. Now, what's really wrong?"

"I'm just…tired."

"Oh." From the tone in his voice and the obvious implications of the word, I understood. He wasn't fatigued-nothing like that. At least, not physically. Tonight, Auron sounded road-weary and…tired, like he had said. He had told me once that, after he had died, it was as if Spira had drained of color and life: just as he had. I saw in his eyes that he felt the same way now. "Sorry."

"Don't be." The guardian's answer was immediate, but from there he said no more. A second passed, and I nodded. Then, he turned back to me. "You should get to sleep. We need to get Anima tomorrow." I nodded, and after a moment asked, "Where is Anima, anyway?"

"Seymour was exiled to Baaj Temple. That was where his mother became a fayth, as we saw in Zanarkand. It would be safe to assume Seymour's aeon rests where he spent much of his life, and where his mother gave up her life," Auron answered, as if he had already thought it through.

"So we go there tomorrow, get Anima, and then there's the big dance that Rikku's going to drag us all to," I said, nodding. Auron chuckled once, shaking his head.

"That as well."

I saw the slightest smirk on his face, and I smiled before turning and walking off, calling a, "Goodnight!" over my shoulder. Then I disappeared into the inn and took a spare room, falling asleep in a warm bed and absently pondering how accustomed I had gotten to sleeping on the ground.

I got up when the sun had barely risen, and found it much harder to get up from a soft, plush mattress than it was from cold, hard stone. I managed it, though, and met the others outside.

"So, we're going to Anima today, ya?" Wakka asked as soon as everyone had congregated just off the Mi'ihen Highroad and out of view and earshot of the temple.

"I suppose. Just one thing: where _is _Anima?" Rikku's voice came first, followed shortly by the bouncy young Al Bhed as she appeared out of the inn and stretched. "Probably not in a temple."

"On the contrary," Auron interrupted, raising an eyebrow at her perpetual cheerfulness. "We have reason to believe that Anima is in Baaj Temple, where Seymour spent at least ten years of his life."

"Why d'you think that?" Rikku inquired, looking up at him and putting her hands on her hips. Auron sighed.

"His mother became a fayth there. And he has many connections to the place," the guardian answered. "Yuna agrees."

"Oh. Okay, then!" she said, shrugging it off and turning to Yuna. "Ready to go, Yunie?" The summoner chuckled.

"Sure."

"Okey dokey! Now let's make like bananas and split!" With that, Rikku jumped up and raced off towards where the airship was waiting in the distance. I gave a brief laugh at her colloquialism, shaking my head, and muttered to Auron, "I'm going to end up speaking like her if I'm not careful." He raised an eyebrow in the Al Bhed's direction and answered, "If this all continues, so am I."

I snorted as we all began walking, following Rikku's trail of rising dust and skidding footprints in the dirt, and said, "Never expected to hear a joke out of you if it'd killed you."

"I suppose I'm dead, then."

"You're in a good mood today, aren't you?" Had I not been so stunned that Auron had actually cracked a joke, I might have taken the comment much more personally, bringing back to mind the fact that he was not really alive. As it was, though, Auron-my Auron, the legendary guardian of Lord Braska and the king of showing no emotion-was actually teasing.

"Not really."

"Then you're certainly in a different mood."

"Mm."

I laughed to myself as we reached the airship and boarded, and as usual Cid asked, "Where to, kiddos?"

"Baaj Temple," Yuna answered, and he turned to a glowing map projected into the air and considered it.

"Can't find it: don't got it on the map, so we can't get there unless it's marked," he said after a moment, stroking his chin. "Anyone here know where this Baaj Temple is?"

"I might," Tidus put in, stepping forward. "That's where Rikku found me when I first got to Spira."

"Ooh, I remember that!" the Al Bhed said, nodding. "Brother was there, too! And we fought that Klikk thing!"

"Okay, so where is the thing?" Cid asked, and moved aside as his daughter skipped to the map and bent over it, her fingers working madly. After a moment, she popped up with a, "Tada!" I saw a new yellow light blinking on the projection, and Cid folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

"Good. To Baaj Temple it is!" He gestured at Brother, who nodded, and the airship jerked forward. After I'd steadied myself, I joined Rikku and Yuna's conversation-which Lulu was trying to inch out of.

"So we're going to the dance in Luca, right?" Rikku was asking animatedly. "I mean, Aey's brother _told _us to come!"

"Of course we are," Yuna answered with a laugh.

"Although somehow I think only the females of the pilgrimage are really excited about that…" I said, and after a glance at Lulu added, "And not even many of those."

"Oh come on, Aey! You want to go to a dance, don't you?" the Al Bhed inquired, looking over at me.

"Heck no. Dancing and me, we don't like each other," I answered. "Although dress-shopping is something I'll suffer through without much complaint."

"Then we've _got _to go dress-shopping!" Rikku squealed. "Are there any good shops in Luca?"

"I don't know what you mean by 'good.' There are a couple of really nice, family-owned businesses and such, and those have some lucky findings every now and then, but nothing too big except Delilah's. That's pretty much the biggest shop in Luca," I answered.

"What kind of place is it?" the Al Bhed asked happily, and Lulu murmured, "Please don't encourage her." I chuckled.

"You know you want to go to a dance as much as Rikku does," I told her, elbowing the mage lightly in the ribs. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll survive if you decide to drag me along."

"Sure," I said, laughing. "Yuna? What about you?" The summoner looked up, smiling and shrugging.

"Oh, I don't know. I've never really been to an official dance or anything, so I'm not sure."

"You've been missing out, Yunie! They're so much fun!" Rikku gushed, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. I rolled my eyes teasingly.

"Easy for you to say. They're _not _fun when a certain family member forces you to dance with some _other _certain blitzball player that you've been bitter rivals with since grade school, and then videotapes the whole thing…" I muttered, and the Al Bhed giggled.

"You sound bitter," she told me, and I nodded.

"I still haven't destroyed the tape, but I'm going to…someday."

"So what, Graav made you dance with…Raudy, or something?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Sadly. He locked up the sphere camera in his room, but _I _still have his autographed blitzball in the back of my closet."

"Sibling rivalry at its best," Lulu sighed, and I chuckled and nodded.

"Yep."

The airship abruptly stopped gliding with a jolt, at least ten feet in the air, and Cid nodded.

"Good luck. It's a little bit of a swim, since this ship can't land directly on Baaj, but from there you should be alright," he said with a nod, pointing toward a shadowy stone structure in the distance. Yuna dipped her head, thanking him, and then stepped back to let Tidus off first. He performed a swan-dive, elegantly sliding into the water with barely a sound, and I muttered, "Ever the show-off."

"Like his father," Auron agreed with a smirk, and I chuckled. Tidus, evidently, heard me, and called, "Let's see you do better!"

"Oh, I will!" I answered with a grin, backing up to be able to run and gain more momentum as I jumped off the side of the hovering airship. "There better not be any giant, hidden boulders beneath me, or I'll end up killing myself," I said, and the blonde blitzer nodded with a laugh. I took a couple of fast steps and then leaped, flipping in the air and narrowly avoiding entering the water in a belly-flop, pulling into a dive at the last moment. "Tada!" I called, surfacing, and Tidus rolled his eyes.

"If I'd known you were going to do something _that _dramatic, I could have one-upped you much easier," he said with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go."

Cid waved as soon as everyone else was in the water, and the airship flew off, presumably to wait somewhere else. I didn't blame him, either: it was no wonder Seymour had gone insane staying here for all those years.

"Okay, then!" Rikku said happily. "Off we go!" She led the way, being one of the best swimmers in the group who was _not _a blitzball player, and everyone else followed close behind. No one was really eager to get to Baaj Temple, but we had all seen Anima's power in Luca, and this wasn't an aeon we were going to pass up.

I pulled myself onto the stone, rolling over and standing as, behind me, Lulu did the same. She had a slightly more difficult time in her now-soaked dress, but somehow we managed as I helped pull her onto the stone and wring the fabric out.

"Ready?" Yuna asked, and after getting a murmur of assent from her guardians she started forward. Fortunately, there were no fiends on the outer rim of the temple, so everyone had a chance to dry off a bit from the swim and once again ready themselves for whatever came next. As we reached the narrow, winding paths around a pool of murky water in the center, though, some of the lizard-like creatures had evidently hopped up from the gloom and were prowling the rim of it. Rikku squeaked and drew back, shrinking behind Kimahri, whose lance rose as the Ronso growled.

One of the creatures looked over and gave a high-pitched shriek, flaring the hood around its head so that it looked twice its size and scampering forward with its mate close behind. Kimahri lunged and sunk his lance into the fiend's torso, and it stopped mid-leap and gave an unearthly scream as it dissolved into pyreflies. The other didn't hesitate, baring its teeth and clamping them down on the Ronso's shoulder.

"Hey, get away, you big meanie!" Rikku said from behind him, her voice wavering. Still, though, she took a jagged machina out from the pouch at her belt and swiped at the fiend, forcing it to let go and giving Kimahri the chance to attack so that it soon followed its mate. He turned and nodded at Yuna, who stepped forward.

"So…" the summoner trailed off. "Tidus, Rikku, Wakka, Aey, are you four going to-" She stopped, her eyes widening as she looked behind Tidus. The blitzer's brow creased, and he began to ask her what was wrong, when I heard a scraping sound behind me. I whipped around, only to see a couple of the same creatures that we had just fought dart forward and shove me-along with the others-backward. I stumbled, reaching out with my hands to catch myself, but kept falling into the open air. There was a moment of silence, and then I hit the water. The breath was forced out of my lungs, and I gasped before my head was submerged, realizing that the creatures had pushed us into the pool of water that Anima was in. I wondered why for a moment and then surfaced, spluttering. There were no pyreflies in this water, as in the sphere pool and the lake in Macalania. I couldn't breathe it, and felt a surge of fear as I fought to regain control over my limbs, coughing the water out of my lungs. Around me, the others popped up above the water as well, and after I had recovered somewhat I swam over to help Lulu stay afloat despite her heavy dress, currently pulling her down. Below us the lizard-like fiends circled, darting up to brush against a guardian's leg every now and then. I held in a scream and lashed out with a kick when I felt scaly skin bumping into my ankle. A moment later, I saw Auron, who had grabbed the edge of the pool to stay above water, his thick red cloak weighing him down as well. I paddled over, treading water for a moment and asking, "Why do you think-" I was interrupted at a low rumbling, and Auron pointed with his chin towards a huge silhouette that was slowly rising from the bottom of the pool.

"Geosgaeno," he said in answer to my widened eyes and raised eyebrows. "And it isn't happy." Auron began to say more, but stopped and leaned forward, taking his katana from where it was resting in a small ledge in the rock and watching silently. I followed his gaze, and saw Yuna floating with Tidus-right above where this huge demon was beginning to surface. "How fast can you swim?" Auron murmured, and I nodded.

"Faster than a blitzball," I muttered in response, and he gestured toward the summoner.

"Get her out of there. Tidus can swim well enough to keep up, but he wouldn't know how to get away from Geosgaeno. Don't worry about the fiends at your back: just get Yuna away."

"Is the…Geosgaeno going after her?" I asked quietly, still watching. Auron jerked his head.

"Swim for Anima's chamber. The rest of us will follow."

Without hesitating any more, I darted forward, swimming as fast as I could and pulling Yuna away. "Just in time" would have been an understatement, as Geosgaeno exploded out of the water and engulfed the guardians in shadow, slapping into the surface of the pool as it thundered back down. Close behind me, I felt Auron treading water, slicing away any Sahagins that got too close.

I began to call to him from underwater, then remembered that I couldn't. So I turned and kept swimming, hoping that he noticed that Geosgaeno had changed direction and was heading for the guardian. Apparently, he did, as I nodded to Tidus and gestured for them both to keep going to the chamber. I waited as Lulu, Wakka, Kimahri, and Rikku kicked past, following the summoner, and watched Auron. After a moment's hesitation after Rikku had disappeared inside the cavern, I turned and swam after her, meeting everyone else inside a circular stone room.

There was a moment's pause in which I stared at the doorway and Yuna, Tidus, and Rikku conversed quietly on the other side of the room, waiting for the last guardian. A few more seconds passed, and then he appeared through the doorway, as drenched and bedraggled as the rest of us. There was something minutely different about the way he walked, though. Where his gait was once smooth and effortless, now he stood stiffly, his shoulders more tense than usual.

The guardian glanced at Yuna, saying immediately, "What are you standing around here for? Go do what you came to do." She nodded, and began to walk forward with the others trailing behind. I stayed, drifting back to Auron when he made no move to follow, and gestured for Yuna to go ahead. The summoner nodded, and kept walking to Anima's chamber.

"You aren't going with them?" he asked, his voice nearly a monotone. I shook my head.

"No. You okay?"

"I'm fine." The way he said it, though, I knew he wasn't. Only Auron thought he was "fine."

"Well, what's wrong?" I prodded, and he sighed.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"C'mon, Auron. I know _something _isn't right."

"It's nothing of consequence, so I don't see why you need to know."

I let out a long breath, sitting down and answering, "Fine. You win. I still want you to tell me, though."

"Mm." There was a long pause, and finally he spoke again. "If you want to know why I'm not telling you, it's because I know you would make it out to be so much worse."

"Oh?" I asked, hiding my surprise that he had actually kept the conversation going this time. "Why's that?"

"Because, though I say that it's nothing, you would disagree. As if I didn't know what was good for me." Auron's answers were short and clipped, as if he was getting used to speaking freely again, and I shrugged.

"Well, maybe you don't know what's good for you. Maybe it is worse than it feels, and you have no way of knowing that."

"And why would that be? Is pain not supposed to be an indicator of how bad something is?"

"Not if it's something like internal bleeding. And for your information, I have a pitifully small shred of experience with medical issues," I said, and Auron glanced over at me from behind his shades.

"Is that so?" he asked with a smirk. "When did you gain this pitifully small shred of experience?" I knew he was trying to change the subject, and I went along with it for the moment.

"Blitzball. People actually get injured a ton."

"I never would have guessed," Auron put in dryly.

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, I remember a couple of years ago, when someone was in shock or something, so they didn't feel their leg. Which, by the way, was totally shattered. And that's just one instance. Bickson completely tore his wrist and hand open on a jagged piece of metal sticking out around the rim of the sphere pool on a game shortly before I left. He said that he didn't feel a thing."

"Interesting. And why do I need to know this?"

"Well, you could be fatally injured or something and never know!" I answered, with a little too much zeal. Auron raised an eyebrow.

"Not 'fatally.' I'm afraid it's too late for that," he amended, and I pursed my lips and looked down at the mention of his death.

"Fine. You don't have to say anything," I muttered, still not completely able to accept it. He sighed, shifting, and I heard a tiny, sharp intake of breath. It was barely discernable from his normal breathing, but enough to make me look over. Maybe I was just pitifully attuned to Auron himself, but I caught sight of a darker patch of red on the sleeve of his coat, the one his arm was hidden in now. "Your arm…" I said suddenly, and he glanced over. "What happened?"

"Geosgaeno," the guardian answered tersely. "I wasn't fast enough."

"Then Geosgaeno must be some wicked fast fish." I had seen how quickly Auron could move, and I found it hard to believe that he could be beaten by a huge, slow fiend. Then again, perhaps the Sahagin had had something to do with it. Auron sighed, shaking his head, and gestured to the arm that I had only ever seen outside of his coat a couple of times.

"After Yunalesca, I wasn't able to use it as well. It was…stiff," he murmured in explanation. From the way I now remembered seeing him move his left arm, I guessed that it was painful as well.

"Oh. Is it broken?" I asked, in an equally soft voice.

"Probably."

"And you're not going to do anything?"

"What could I do?"

"Get a splint."

"Where would I get a splint?"

"Make one."

"Out of what?"

"A branch, some cloth, maybe something from O'aka." Auron pursed his lips, a small smirk on his face.

"You're quite good at this."

"Arguing?" I asked, smiling.

"Mm."

"Well, if you're not going to get a splint, then at least make sure you don't faint from blood loss or something."

"And how would I do that?" the guardian inquired mildly, and I pulled a roll of cloth I used to use for bandaging injuries in blitzball practice out of my bag. "I suppose I don't have a choice, then."

"No, you don't. Now, let me see."

Auron let out a long breath, raising his eyebrows as he withdrew his arm from his cloak. I shook my head, saying, "You have a high pain tolerance, don't you?" I had seen worse in practice, but Abus had been practically screaming then. Auron didn't answer, and I silently set to work. I had none of the experience that summoners had in healing, but I knew the basics from having to fix up anyone that was injured in blitzball, and I doubted that Auron would willingly let Yuna heal him.

As I worked, I also talked. Anything that came to mind: my team, my home, the other guardians, stories I knew, my pet peeves. I had learned over the years that if I could distract someone, they were much more pleasant to help and to converse with. I wasn't sure if Auron really cared about getting his mind off whatever pain he was experiencing, but stories kept me semi-distracted, too. "Where's a good, strong stick when you need one?" I muttered to myself after a few moments, and Auron gave a low chuckle. I had made a splint once in my life, but that was only because there had been no one else and no other materials to do it. I was almost glad that I didn't have the proper materials now, too, because I might have ended up doing more damage than good.

"M'kay, I'm done." I nodded, and his arm disappeared again inside the sleeve of his robe. "You know, most people would thank someone that just helped them," I prodded with a smile, and Auron smirked.

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome."

**x.X.x**

**We're getting closer and closer to Sin! zomg! (long chappie again XD)  
**

**By the way, I have the weirdest way of typing. Instead of holding down the Shift key, I ACTUALLY put Caps Lock on, hit the capitalized letter, and then take Caps Lock off. And I can still type faster than I can write. Sad, isn't it?**

**I don't know why I learned that way, but I'm sure I'm not supposed to XDDDD**

**Anyway, in the next chapter we (hopefully) will see THE DANCE. O.O**

**In which Rikku will drag Aey and Lulu to Delilah's for dress-shopping and Auron will be taken by surprise. =3**

**OOH, SUSPENSE. **

**And hopefully you won't have to wait as long for chapter 32 ;)  
**


	32. In Which Aey Shops and Auron Plays Poker

**Hey!**

**Oh my Nayru, I'm SO SORRY for how long this is taking! It's like, the worst kind of writer's block XDDD**

**HAS THIS CHAPTER BROKEN ANOTHER RECORD? OMN! IT'S 5,600 WORDS!  
**

**Anyway, Champs on Saturday! The VERY LAST swim meet of the season! And I better be swimming breast stroke or I'm going to KILL SOMETHING.**

**I've been moving my legs in a flutter-kick-like motion (scissors-kick, whatever you want to call it) continuously for the past half hour. MAH LEGS...DEY BUUUURN! Listening to Furry DotA helps, though XDDD I'm burning calories ^^**

**Honestly I have no idea why I'm doing it. It's just the music or something...**

**Couple of new readers!**

**Thanks tooooo...**

**Yume97****, ****Natlii-x****, (both new!)** **Boredom Queen of Insanity, ****toucanmel94, ****Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai (Still not underlining XD)**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira! W00T! I believe I have a few other readers, but they have yet to review ;D  
**

**Oh, and this is a rather girly chapter. Like, you need to know terms that not many guys I know have any knowledge of. Seriously, my friend doesn't know what a fishtail is. Neither did I, until a few years ago XDDD  
**

**Disclaimer: I is not a girleh person. I is actually rather un-girly. Blame mi madre for my knowledge of shopping.  
**

**x.X.x  
**

From there we sat and talked, having what might be a conversation but mostly consisted of me jabbering and Auron nodding or giving one-word replies. Every now and then he would answer with a sentence, but those instances were few and far between. Finally, Yuna and the others made their way out of the chamber, and Auron stood. The summoner nodded at him, and he said, "So we swim back to where Cid left, correct?"

"I think he's waiting there," she agreed, and Auron led the way back to the outside of the temple, climbing back out of the pool and then lowering himself into the water with everyone else close behind. Sure enough, as soon as we had swam out far enough, the trusted, colorful exterior of the _Fahrenheit _appeared, and a ladder was lowered into the water.

"How'd it go?" Cid called, and Rikku gave her father a thumbs-up.

"Fantastic!" she answered, taking hold of the ladder and scampering up, followed by the other guardians.

"Is that so?" he asked, and I took hold of the rungs behind the Al Bhed girl.

"We took a little bit of an impromptu swim," I informed Cid, shrugging as I pulled myself onto the airship. He gave a hearty laugh.

"You got the aeon, though?" he asked, and Yuna nodded, climbing up after me.

"Yes sir," she said with a smile. Cid shook his head.

"Formalities," he muttered, and then the latch swung closed as the last guardian hopped onto the bridge. "Well, where to now?"

"It's getting _really _late," Rikku pointed out as Yuna began to reply. "Why don't we spend the night on the ship?"

"I suppose," the summoner agreed, turning to Cid. "Would that be okay?"

"Sure thing," he answered, nodding. "You know where the rooms are." She dipped her head, turning and walking in the direction of the cabin with Lulu. Rikku bounced along behind her, and soon after they had gone Wakka and Tidus bade us goodnight and followed. "And lovebirds in the group, don't try anything!" Rikku's father called after the five guardians and summoner, whose laughter could be heard before it faded into the cabin.

After a moment, I stretched, rubbing my eyes and sitting down on a spinning chair situated in front of a computer. I kicked at the ground, twirling around in it and resting one elbow on its arm, and looked up as Cid folded his arms across his chest, watching Auron turn without a word and go after the others to the cabin. I smiled and said, "'Night, then," to the guardian, who nodded and then disappeared out of the room. A second passed, and then Brother yawned, said something in Al Bhed to his father, and then followed suit, leaving of the bridge to go to bed.

Rikku's father eyed me for a moment, and then turned back to the controls of the _Fahrenheit _and began turning lights out around the ship.

"So," he said as he worked. "My daughter told me about that dance she's so excited about." I chuckled, still spinning in the chair.

"Oh, yeah. That one. The one that only Rikku and Yuna are _really _excited about."

"You aren't, huh?"

"Not necessarily. I have a bad history of dances that Graav's invited me to. Although I do _like _them, but usually under certain circumstances."

"Ah."

"Yep."

"So, is Rikku going to get you all ready for the dance, then?"

"I hope not. No offense, but she has a little bit of a tendency to go…overboard," I answered, shifting in the chair. Cid gave a hearty laugh.

"Believe me, I know. I'll just have to hope that you make it out alive."

"I think we will, as long as Rikku doesn't decide that the males in the group should look nice as well. Auron might have to kill her, if Kimahri and Wakka don't first." Cid chuckled, and then after a moment straightened and said, "Sorry about getting parent on you, but you should probably be heading to bed. Big day tomorrow, since-if I know my tyikrdan-she will want to get everything ready for the dance a day early." I smiled, nodding.

"Wish us luck tomorrow."

"I'll try to do more than that, if you're going to endure the thunderstorm that is Rikku."

I laughed, nodding before being the last to get to bed.

Morning came, and Rikku was the first to bounce out of her room and squeal, "Up and at 'em, everyone! You all slept late!"

"Good thing we did, too," I muttered as I walked into the main room of the cabin. "We're all going to need all the rest we can get." Lulu appeared beside me, gave a small, "Huh," and nodded.

"What time is it?" Yuna asked blearily, walking out. Rikku checked the small machina ticking on her wrist, and said gleefully, "It's almost noon, you sissies! How late did you all stay up?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, we were busy getting an aeon to fight Sin. Getting to bed early wasn't the top priority, ya?" Wakka asked with a raised eyebrow. Tidus nodded with a chuckle.

"Well, you should have gotten your rest! The dance is tomorrow, and we still have to go dress-shopping and get all ready and stuff! And if you don't watch your mouth," she said, looking at Tidus and Wakka with a small scowl. "_You're _coming with Yunie, Aey, Lulu and me to dress-shop!" Both of them winced, backing up, and Lulu began to edge away.

"Oh, no," I muttered, pulling her back. "You're staying with me. If we go down, we go down together." The mage gave a humorless chuckle, and nodded.

"Okay! So Vydran, you stay with all of the boys. Make sure they're all ready, 'kay?" She turned to Cid, who dipped his head with a laugh.

"Yes ma'am," he answered, and Rikku pulled Yuna over to the front of the airship.

"Okay, to Luca, right?" she asked me. "Delilah's?" I muttered something inaudible, and Rikku nodded. "Okey dokey! Let's go!" Cid gave a mock-salute, saying something in Al Bhed to Brother, and then the airship jerked forward. As Yuna and Rikku chatted near the front of the ship, Lulu and I drifted to the back of the group in a fruitless attempt to get out of sight-perhaps then the Al Bhed girl would forget about us.

"Hiding?" Auron asked me as I edged behind him. I shrugged, muttering, "You would be too, if you were faced with a day at Delilah's with the only Al Bhed that has both the strength and the girly qualities to force you to come to the mall and then drool over a dress-shop."

"Mm," the guardian answered, giving a noncommittal shrug. I snorted.

"I'm willing to bet you've never been to a mall, much less with Rikku."

"Have you?"

"Doram has dragged me there a couple of times. It would be your worst nightmare, Mr. Legendary Guardian. Sin doesn't hold a candle to Delilah's in shopping season."

"Is that so?" He smirked, chuckling.

"Someday I'm going to force you to the mall, and let you experience the horrors of shopping."

"I thought you said you liked dress-shopping."

"Sure I do, but not trekking through a huge, three-story building to _get _to the store."

He laughed once, and then nodded at me as Rikku skipped over and took my arm, beginning to steer me towards the exit of the airship as it touched down outside Luca.

"Good luck," Auron said, and I rolled my eyes and slapped him playfully on the shoulder as I was dragged away.

"C'mon, c'mon, let's go!" Rikku squealed, Yuna walking at her side with Lulu drifting behind. "Now, where's this Delilah's?"

"Cherry street," I answered with resignation. "Two blocks from here."

"Oh, cheer up," the Al Bhed said with a sigh. "You're so melodramatic. It's going to be fun, I promise! You're going to look so pretty, and Lulu, you'll get to wear something other than that dress! Oh, and Yunie, you should get something daring, y'know? I'm thinking _red, _or maybe black…something slinky, see?"

"Slinky?" Yuna repeated with a laugh. "Why in the name of Yevon would I try on something 'slinky?'"

"_Because_," Rikku sighed dramatically. "You'd completely wow everyone! Show them that their sweet little summoner isn't as innocent as she seems!"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because it'd be _fun_!"

I chuckled despite my misgivings about trooping around the mall, and listened-almost content-as Rikku rambled about what we should all wear. "…And then, when we're done, I can do all your hair-Lulu, your hair is going to be so much fun!-and we'll make you all look so gorgeous, that the guys will just _have _to go all out and make themselves look as good as you do!"

"Somehow I doubt that's going to work," Lulu said with a raised eyebrow, though she looked as though she secretly liked the idea.

"Oh, of course it will. Especially with Wakka, the lovebird. Oh, and Tidus is such a romantic, you'll have no problem, Yunie." Both of them looked taken aback, but not as much as I was when Rikku turned to me and said, stroking her chin, "Now, _Auron _is going to be a little harder to impress. Or at least, to get him to show it. We'll have to work _pre_-tty hard to make you look amazing enough to surprise him, but I don't think it'll be too difficult."

"I never-" I began to protest, but she flapped her hand at me and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, be quiet. You know it's true. And I'll be recording his reaction when we're done. In fact," she said with a sudden grin, taking a sphere camera out of her pouch, "I think I'll record _everyone's _reactions! Now, let's go!"

With Lulu and I in tow, Yuna and Rikku walked into the mall. I heard the mage muttering to herself, and I chuckled. Maybe-just maybe-it wouldn't be _so _bad. Rikku let me show her the way to the rather large shop on the top floor, filled with nothing but dresses in all shapes and sizes. From there, she took over.

"Okay, Yunie. You're first!" She bounced around the shop, commanding Lulu and I to 'look around and tell her if we find something good.' Mostly, though, we sat outside the fitting room and contemplated our fates.

"I wonder how long it would take me to strangle myself with a dress…" the mage mused quietly, looking at the long racks and the fifteen-year-old skipping around and dragging Yuna behind her. I shrugged, replying, "Or you could just drown yourself with magic. But then _I _wouldn't have any other way to escape."

"True. I'm thinking of you, too. Perhaps I could drown both of us at once." She was perfectly serious, speaking as if she were talking about the weather.

"I think you'd die before me. Blitzball player, remember?"

"Lightning, then?"

"I suppose we'd both die at the same time if you were to electrocute us both and keep it up until we were both as dead as doornails."

"Alright. Thundaga it is." We were both quiet for a few moments, our eyes following Yuna and Rikku, and then I spoke.

"But then again, think of how heartbroken Wakka would be."

"Mm, I suppose. And I wouldn't want Sir Auron to be distracted for the fight with Sin."

"Besides, they'd be less two guardians." I sighed. "I suppose killing ourselves may not be the best answer."

"Do you think we would survive a jump out the window?"

"Maybe. What about knocking Rikku out, and then making our escape?"

"That could work."

I began to reply, but closed my mouth as the Al Bhed and summoner walked toward us, each with an armful of dresses.

"Okay," Rikku said, dropping them onto the bench and gesturing for Yuna to do the same. "I want to see _every one _of these, and then we'll narrow it down, 'kay?" The summoner gave a small smile, nodded, and then glanced over at her other two guardians. I shot a sympathetic glance back, glad that Rikku had gotten us out so early. If she hadn't, we might have been here through the night for Yuna, me, Lulu, and Rikku herself.

The summoner grabbed a couple of dresses, and I noticed a distinct difference between her choices and her youngest guardian's. Rikku had chosen, as she had suggested, very low-cut, short, and flared styles. Yuna's were much more conservative, some of them fishtailing and others high-necked and almost kimono-style. From inside the dressing room, I heard the summoner sigh.

"Must I come out in…this?" she pleaded. Rikku beamed.

"Oh, you're too modest. C'mon!" the Al Bhed encouraged, and Yuna sighed, stepping warily out of the room. I kept my face blank except for raised eyebrows, and saw her blushing all the way down to her fingertips. It was a black halter-top, showing all of Yuna's back and stopping before any fabric reached her knees. It was a beautiful dress, and very nice on the summoner, but I saw-and I was sure Lulu did as well-how uncomfortable she was in it.

"Rikku?" I asked, still raising an eyebrow. The Al Bhed was grinning, and she turned to me.

"Yeah?"

"This is a dance, for one thing. Yuna is probably going to be asked to _dance _at some point. I don't think she can in that, and think of poor Tidus. And all of the other poor teenage boys that are going to be there."

"Oh, it's not like they're fourteen or something!" she answered with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, they aren't _all _teenagers. Only some of them."

"Nevertheless, they're males. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure you haven't spent most of your life with the Goer guys. Honestly, I wouldn't get near Raudy wearing that even if I had a machina gun and Auron's katana with me. As Yuna's guardian, I have to disagree."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Lulu agreed, and Yuna looked relieved. Rikku folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

"Fine," she said. "But I found some others!"

"First of all, let's see what Yuna wants to wear," Lulu interrupted. The summoner shot her a grateful glance, promising the Al Bhed, "I liked a lot of what you chose, just not…this one." At this, Rikku beamed, and nodded.

"Okay! Well, look at the ones you like, and I'll go hang up the ones you don't!"

Lulu and I waited as the two young girls discussed different choices, and finally Rikku ran back with another armful of dresses to put back. What was left were six choices: a long, flowing, light blue fishtail-dress that covered enough to be decent; a black party dress that stopped above Yuna's knees but was fine when she twirled; a scarlet, just-plain-poofy number, and three others that I saw Yuna eyeing with some distaste. I guessed that Rikku had persuaded her to 'at least try them.'

She tried those three on first, as if to get them out of the way, and seemed thankful when either Lulu or me tactfully disagreed. Then, the summoner took the crimson, tutu-looking dress, and when she came out I was surprised at how good it looked. It had seemed ridiculous on the rack, but it actually turned out quite attractive. Rikku, however, had other ideas.

"No, no, no," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't think that would look good when I got it anyway…hmm…"

"Alright," Yuna sighed. All of us knew by now that there was no getting past Rikku's decisions. She was the one reason that we were here, after all. The summoner took the light blue dress into the dressing room, and when she came out the Al Bhed smiled.

"I like it…" she said thoughtfully. "But you'll probably have to dance, and this would not be the best for walking-much less dancing. So I'd say it's a no-go." Yuna shrugged-we were all resigned to wait the rest of the day-and grabbed the last dress, the black one.

It took her a little longer to get into this one, but when she opened the door of the dressing room Rikku's eyes lit up. "Oh, Yunie, look!" she squealed, pointing to a mirror. Yuna glanced sideways, blushed, and looked back down.

"What do you think?" she asked, spinning slowly.

"Ooh, twirl faster!" her youngest guardian said happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Yuna obliged, and I nodded. It wasn't too showy but, as Rikku had promised, Yuna did look very good in something less conservative than what she usually wore. This was a dance, after all, and-as the Al Bhed had said was a general rule-everyone had to wear something much different from what they normally did.

"What do you think, Yuna?" Lulu asked, and the summoner shrugged.

"I don't know. You probably know more than me about this, so…"

"I think it's very nice, and not too much or too little. A good choice." The mage sat back, and Rikku beamed.

"Okay! So that's Yunie done, at least for dresses. Aey, you're next!"

"Yevon have mercy on my soul," I muttered, and Lulu smiled. Yuna nodded sympathetically as I followed Rikku out, listening to her rambling.

"Well, you should be a little bit easier to shop for, since Yuna's so _humble_. I mean, seriously! She didn't want anything that was below her collarbone!" The Al Bhed sighed dramatically, and then continued, "Anyway, I know that you won't have much of a problem with V-necks and such, but…"

"But…?" I prodded, finding my arms suddenly used as clothing racks as Rikku picked and chose different dresses.

"Well, _we're _shopping for Auron! We're looking for something that'll totally make him think twice about being dead, since he'll see all that he missed out on in life!"

"Rikku!" I groaned, not liking where this was going.

"Just between you and me," she said, continuing as if she hadn't heard me. "I think he likes you a whole lot. We just need to get him to show how much, that's all. And to do that, we need to surprise him a _ton._" Despite myself, I found that I almost liked her blatant, cold-hard-truth attitude about the whole thing. That, and the fact that she wasn't afraid to say what she thought-both about the males on the pilgrimage and the dresses we were trying on. "Hmm…I think that'll do it for now."

"Yeah, I think it might," I agreed with a raised eyebrow, holding at least twenty pounds of fabric. "I think my arms are about to die."

"Oh, take it like a man!"

"So you want me to scream like a girl and run away as fast as I can?" I asked, and Rikku laughed.

"Yeah, I guess not. So…take it like Yuna! She didn't complain once!"

"You didn't look at her face, I'm guessing. She really, really wanted to."

"Oh, shaddup."

The Al Bhed beamed, helping me set all of the dresses down as I shook my arms out. I gave a pained smile at Yuna, and she chuckled. "Right, then," Rikku announced, handing me a deep purple fishtail dress with a plunging neckline and no back. I blew out my lips in a raspberry, but took it and went into the dressing room. I had chosen perhaps two of the dresses in the pile, but Rikku's choices weren't very bad.

When I came back out, I began to appreciate how well Yuna had handled all of this, especially wearing some of Rikku's more 'slinky' picks. I felt uncharacteristically self-conscious as the Al Bhed looked me over, and finally shook her head and handed me another couple dresses. "Too long," she explained matter-of-factly. "You'd be stepping all over the hem."

I nodded, keeping back a sigh, but smiling despite myself and taking the others. As it turned out, Rikku's pile looked a lot bigger than it was, and I had soon narrowed it down to four. What with Lulu helping with disagreeing when I shot her a pleading glance and Rikku seeming to put down any dress I remotely liked, things went very quickly.

The first choice she handed me was one of the few long dresses that had made it into the finals, and I actually thought it looked quite good. Strapless and bright red, it was form-fitting until a little below the waist, where it suddenly flared out and trailed on the ground. Beneath the first layer of thick silky satin, a couple of inches of light, lace-like fabric showed through in the slit near the front. I tried it, without high hopes, and blew another exasperated raspberry when Rikku promptly shook her head. "Too long again. Ah, well. Prom or something."

I shrugged, taking the last two. They were also both strapless, the first black and lacy. Rikku rejected it as well, and left to put all the "no's" back on the rack while I prayed to Yevon that she would like the last one: a nondescript, crimson bubble-dress with a dark blue ribbon wrapping around the waist.

My prayers were answered, as Rikku jogged back to us and suddenly squealed to me, talking with Lulu and Yuna, "That looks amazing! Oh, I can just see you tomorrow! Your hair's going to be all curly, and maybe some bracelets and flats or something…it's going to be so much fun!" She grinned, gesturing for me to change back into my normal clothes and saying to Lulu, "Your turn!"

The mage sighed, and I winked at her and whispered, "Just look at me or something if you don't like it, and I'll help you out." She smiled over her shoulder, walking back into her fate with Rikku, and I pulled my knees up to my chest and talked with Yuna.

"Any idea how long we've been here?" I asked the summoner with a laugh, and she smiled and shook her head.

"A couple of hours, maybe. But it _is _kind of fun, don't you think?"

"I suppose. It's been better than I thought it would be. Are you excited?" I inquired, and she giggled nervously.

"Kind of," Yuna answered. "I'm wondering, too, what Cid is doing with the others."

"I'd wager not much. Rikku'll probably get her hands on them, too, before the day is done." The summoner chuckled and agreed, and after a few more moments Rikku appeared, towing Lulu behind. The mage's selection of dresses was possibly the biggest of all, and I saw her glance at the window more than once.

"Contemplating suicide?" I muttered to her as she walked past, grinning. She rolled her eyes.

"Still want that Thundaga?"

I smiled, sitting back and watching as Lulu and Rikku filtered through the pile. Through sheer force of will and perhaps a death threat or two, the mage managed to get Rikku to sigh and return at least half of them. Of course, many of those were the shorter dresses, and what remained were either medium-length, short, or floor-length. I watched, amused, and intervened where I sensed I was needed-such as telling Rikku I doubted that we should make poor Wakka (and any other guys on the blitzball team) see Lulu in a dress-that-could-have-been-considered-a-long-shirt with no sleeves and a plunging neckline. She pouted, but gave in when I mentioned Wakka and the others, and we kept going.

As always-though it took longer this time-we managed to narrow it down to around three choices. Rikku was intent on a medium-length, dark blue satin dress that she had chosen, but both Yuna and I agreed on a longer style. From Lulu's inconspicuous glances-not much got past Rikku, but she managed-and small hand-signals, we found the one she personally liked. Because she had done so much for me, like telling Rikku that only _she _really liked the color pink, I decided to return the favor.

"What about that?" I asked the Al Bhed, gesturing to a deep violet, fishtail number with no straps and a nice, straight neckline. She shrugged, nodding.

"Okay!" Rikku's energy was boundless: bouncing back and forth, hanging dresses up and picking more out, and then waiting around as we tried them on-and somehow still being just as excited for the first one as she was for the last.

As soon as Lulu came out, she almost screamed. Babbling in incoherent Al Bhed, she took the mage's hands and danced around the dressing room, spinning Lulu around. "It's perfect!" Rikku exclaimed. "Ed'c banvald! Ed'c cu, cu banvald! Oui muug ysywehk! E teth'd drehg ed fuimt fung, pid ed muugc cu vyhdycdel!"

"Are we done, then?" I asked as soon as Rikku had stopped dancing. Her cheeks were flushed, and she shook her head eagerly.

"Oh, no! We've still got to agree on hairstyles, makeup, jewelry…" She kept talking, and Lulu almost groaned as she changed out of her dress. Rikku handed over the right amount of Gil at the front of the shop, then bagged the clothing and hoisted it over her shoulders before walking back out into the mall.

We stayed for a few more hours, and finally the Al Bhed was content. Jewelry, hair, makeup, and whatever else-apparently, that was _all _we needed for the dance.

"I don't understand how you can move faster than a walk," I sighed as she skipped ahead, leading the way back to the airship with Lulu, Yuna and I in tow.

"I don't understand how you can't!" Rikku called back, waving at her dad and the other guardians. I sighed, my feet dragging, and smiled at Lulu.

"I'm going to sleep well tonight," I said tiredly, and she laughed once. "After I tell the others how lucky they are they got to be lazy today." She nodded as we boarded the airship, and I looked up at the already-setting sun. We had been at the mall for _how long_?

I smiled at Rikku chatting animatedly with Cid and Brother, and made my way to the cabin. Early bedtime tonight, I thought.

My pace slowed, though, as I saw Auron standing at the window and looking out at the clouds as the airship lifted into the air, where it usually remained stationary throughout the night to avoid fiends.

"Have fun?" he asked as I approached. I gave a humorless laugh.

"Hardly. But it was somehow nice, though. Friendly. And maybe just a little fun," I admitted, and he chuckled.

"What happened?"

"Oh, Rikku fussed over everyone, picked out some rather obscene dresses-for Yuna especially-and then told us that we weren't allowed to show anyone else until the dance. That took a good long time, and then we picked out hair and makeup and everything. You're lucky you missed it," I explained.

"I think Rikku will get around to the men eventually."

"Probably. What did you all do here?"

"Tidus taught everyone how to play Poker."

"Poker?" I asked, not recognizing the name

"It's basically a form of gambling. It was rather large in Zanarkand. Though I can't say I approve of Tidus teaching it, Jecht played too much for his own good, so I really have no complaints."

"Did _you_ play?" I asked with a smile. Auron shifted, shrugging.

"I played a few rounds."

"Who won?"

"I did."

I chuckled, familiar enough with gambling and only too able to imagine Cid, Wakka, Kimahri, Auron, Tidus, and Brother seated around a table and placing bets. I could also imagine Auron quietly obliterating everyone else when he played.

"Sorry I missed it."

"Mm." He gave a low laugh, saying then, "Tidus was rather surprised that I already knew how to play. And that I won against him, the supposed best gambler in Zanarkand."

"So your nights in the city that never sleeps weren't totally docile all the time, were they?" I asked with a wry smile, and he chuckled once.

"Not necessarily. I played my share of Poker years ago."

"Somehow I'm not surprised." I smiled, turning and saying over my shoulder, "I should be getting to bed. Long day again tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Goodnight, then. Sleep well."

"'Night."

**x.X.x**

**D'AWWWW, AURON TOLD AEY TO SLEEP WELLLLLLL! *shiny anime eyes***

**Innn any case, I had no idea it would be this long. I suppose we'll see the dance in the NEXT chapter, then. XDDD **

**That's going to be SUCH a fun chapter to write...so, hopefully, it'll be up soon. If swim team and camp doesn't get in the way...**

**Although I have really bittersweet feelings about swim team ending. I love it, I really do-it's just the meets I normally hate. I'll be happy when it ends, because I get to sleep late and have more time for everything, but it's been nice! I eat healthier, I end up exercising more, I feel better, I burn more calories, I have a right to call myself "athletic" (I do karate, but not many people consider it a sport)...the list goes on.**

**I want to do year-round, but that's a heckuva lot harder than summer league and I'm not sure the place where I swim even HAS a year-round program...**

***sigh***

**I suppose I need to get into another sport if I want to stay fit...**

***raspberry***

**Thanks!  
**


	33. In Which Auron is Taken by Surprise

**Dear sweet Nayru (again)! Honestly, I think my subconscious is just bent on keeping me from finishing this stinking story. I open up the document and stare at it for at least ten minutes like, every day. THEN, when I START writing, I can't stop until eight pages later and the dance still hasn't happened.**

**So somehow I made a whole chapter about right before the dance. Geez.**

**Anyway I feel like using this like a...journal of sorts, even though I should be getting to bed because my friend and I are going to meet at the pool tomorrow morning for some swim team of our OWN. MWAHAHA. **

**So Champs was today, the last swim meet of the season. Basically, swim season is over, so for some reason I feel like crying. I'm going to miss it...**

**I really am. Not necessarily the swimming, though I'll miss that too, but the companionship of being in a team, how much of a blast I always end up having at meets...all that. (That is just about the corniest thing I've ever said. Please forgive me =3)**

**Tear.**

**ANYWAY, new reader! I'm pretty sure it's just one, so THANK YOU to...**

**Pitch Hart, ****(newwww!) ****Yume97****, ****Natlii-x****,** **Boredom Queen of Insanity, ****toucanmel94, ****Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai (Still not underlining XD)**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira!**

**Disclaimer: HONESTLY. HOW DO I WRITE A WHOLE CHAPTER THAT SPANS LESS THAN TWO HOURS?**

**x.X.x  
**

I began to get used to sleeping late, something I was sure was not a good thing, but Rikku had everyone "up and at 'em" by noon. Now, it was Auron's turn to get ready for the dance tonight.

"Good luck!" I said sweetly, waving, and he raised an eyebrow. "I'll just pray for you and hope you make it out."

"You do that," he answered, smirking and then glancing sideways. I followed his gaze, and saw Tidus being bodily dragged by Rikku towards Luca, and I called, "Video tape them all!" to the Al Bhed. She gave me a thumbs-up and a wink, saying, "No worries! I will!" I nodded, and Auron gave a small smile.

"Have fun!" I told him, turning him around and giving him a small shove towards Rikku.

"I daresay I will," he answered, and then caught my hand in a very unexpected gesture, twining our fingers together and nodding. "Ask Cid to teach you all how to play Poker for me. I think it's a game you'll enjoy." Trying to hide my sudden happiness at this small thing, holding hands, I laughed. It came out kind of choked, but a laugh was a laugh nevertheless.

"I will."

Auron pulled away, walking off at a steady pace to catch up to Tidus, Wakka, Kimahri, Brother, and Rikku. I smiled, turning and disappearing into the airship again, and found a couple of people already sitting around a table. Yuna and Lulu had been joined by a few other Al Bhed girls, and they were all chatting around the table.

"There she is!" Cid said, gesturing at me. I chuckled, sitting down cross-legged next to Yuna, and informed Rikku's father, "I was told to ask you to teach us all how to play Poker." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, I dunno. It got pretty heated in here while the guys were playing…I don't know if I want to know what would happen if you ladies got into a fight," he answered with a wink. Yuna smiled. "We have cards, though, if you really want me to teach you. Then again, Tidus knew how to play better than I do, so it might be a bit different."

"I think it'd be fun," Yuna answered with a smile. Rikku's father nodded.

"Alright, then. I'll deal 'em out."

We spent the next hour or two learning how to play, what the cards meant and the different terms in this so-called "Poker." Two of the Al Bhed girls there already knew how, and helped Cid teach Yuna, Lulu, the youngest Al Bhed, and me. Then, a pile of Gil was placed on the table, and we spent the next few hours playing.

It was relatively docile, with a few arguments breaking out every now and then about cheating-though Cid claimed that only experts really cheated convincingly: he would have known if anyone else around the table had.

The males in the group, apparently, took far less time to shop, and had come back by-according to Cid's watch-five o'clock. A slightly disgruntled Rikku led them, and as soon as she burst in the door of the airship she loudly proclaimed, "Guys stink! I had to threaten to pop Wakka's blitzball before he would even _consider _walking into the mall, it took Tidus a good hit to the nose before he thought about trying a tux on, Kimahri just flat-out _wouldn't, _and _Auron!_" At the last guardian's name, she threw her hands up. "Don't even get me _started_! I could punch him as much as I wanted and he still refused to try _anything _on! And I mean, I can't even _lift_ that stupid sword, so it's not like I could threaten him or anything, and the whole thing was just a disaster!" She flopped down in the chair with a loud sigh, and I chuckled to myself as Auron smirked.

"Did you get Tidus and Wakka to buy anything, though?" I asked the Al Bhed, and she nodded glumly.

"Yeah. But it's so…_semi-formal_." She spat the last words out, glaring at the two blitzers, who each took a few involuntary steps back. "And they're probably not going to let me even comb their hair, the stinkies." Rikku stood, throwing a last glare over her shoulder before stalking back to the cabin. After a moment, Yuna laughed.

"It sounds like it was a success," she observed lightly, and Tidus chuckled.

"Yeah, I think it was. Auron and Kimahri were hilarious, though. Rikku was just punching them and kicking them and yelling at them but neither did _anything,_" he answered. "Anyway, what did you do here?"

Yuna began to reply, and I drifted over to Auron as he began to make his way back to the main room of the cabin.

"How was it?" I asked him as we walked, and he gave a low laugh.

"Interesting, especially seeing Wakka and Tidus in formal wear. Rikku wouldn't stop talking, either."

"About what?"

"Mainly why we should dress up, instead of being 'boring old pansies.'" I chuckled.

"She said that, did she?"

"Mm. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering. She was talking to us a little about that too, but she gave us some very Rikku-like reasons." I shrugged indifferently, and Auron smirked.

"She was talking to Tidus the most, telling him how Yuna had dressed up for _him, _and that he should do the same for her. That worked, so she tried it on Wakka. Rambled about how Lulu was going to 'be all beautiful just for him.'"

I laughed, nodding. "She was gushing a lot about how Yuna should surprise Tidus-and her other guardians-by wearing something so different than what she normally did. Talked about it like Yuna would be doing Tidus a favor or something." Auron smirked.

"Of course. However, she had no argument for Kimahri, so he got to stay on the sidelines."

"What did she say to you? Just punch you and kick you a lot?" I asked with a grin. Auron didn't answer for a moment, and finally gave a half-smile.

"That as well. She also wouldn't be quiet about how she had finally convinced you to try on a few dresses when she started talking about surprising me, so she didn't see why it wasn't working with me. Gushing, to use your word, about how much I 'was going to love your dress,' and how 'I should suffer through this for Aey, too.'"

"She said that?" I muttered, raising my eyebrows. He smirked again and nodded.

"I would recommend asking Rikku. She threatened to tell you everything I answered and every emotion she said she saw in my face if I didn't try a tux, so I suppose that threat is valid now." I shrugged, smiling a bit.

"Maybe I will." Auron chuckled once, shaking his head, and asked suddenly, "Do you know when this dance starts?"

"Well, they've all started at sunset before, so that's probably the same this time."

"Soon, then."

"Sadly. And Rikku is going to want to-" My answer was cut off as, as if on cue, the Al Bhed herself barreled down the hallway, taking my shoulder and beginning to steer me away.

"You can chitchat later!" she exclaimed. "At the dance! But if we don't start getting ready now, we won't be ready _when _it starts!" She turned and nodded at Auron before pushing me into a rather large room with Yuna and Lulu already waiting.

"I have a bad feeling about this," the mage muttered. I shot her a pained smile, sinking down on the bed next to her, and watching somewhat apprehensively as Rikku paced back and forth.

"Okay, it'll be time for the dance in like, less than three hours! _And _I still have to get the guys ready! Granted, that'll take less than twenty minutes, but still! We've got to hurry, hurry, hurry if we're going to make all of you stunning in time for sunset!" She explained, stopping and facing us. "So Yunie, you're first!" Rikku tossed her the short, black party dress, and the summoner disappeared into the bathroom that was connected to the room we sat in now-I guessed it was Rikku's. A moment later, she came back out, and then Rikku stroked her chin for a second. "Well, I suppose we shouldn't do everyone separately, since that'd get uncomfortable and take too long…so Aey, you're next!" She gave me the bubble dress that we'd bought the day before, and I sighed and stood, changing into it in the privacy of the bathroom and then waiting for Lulu.

"What now?" Yuna asked when we were all done. The Al Bhed girl rolled her eyes, taking a bright yellow, ruffled party dress and bouncing into the bathroom.

"You didn't think I was going to miss it, didja?" she asked animatedly, appearing a few moments later. "I got my own dress!"

"Very nice," Yuna complimented, and Rikku twirled.

"You think? Thanks!" She skipped into the bathroom, gesturing for us to follow, and stood in front of the mirror that dominated the front part of the wall. "Now, for hair and makeup…" The Al Bhed girl turned, placing her hands on her hips. "What do you think? Aey, I can definitely see you in ringlets and maybe a braid…or just curls piled on top of your head…perhaps two separate braids…" She darted forward and took my ponytail out, beginning to mess with my hair, and clucked to herself. "Definitely curls. A braid wouldn't fit the personality of the dress…so maybe just waves…yeah, wavy would look good." Then she zipped to Yuna, tapping her chin and running her fingers through the summoner's hair. "So for you, Yunie, we might need a ponytail or a bun. Your hair actually looked really pretty at the wedding in Bevelle, but we won't do that exactly, since it might remind some people too much of Seymour…let's see…so maybe a ponytail, and then a few ringlets and a braid or two in the front." Rikku nodded to herself, and then turned to Lulu and fingered the long braids that snaked down the mage's back. "Your hair is going to be so much fun. I'm thinking just a long, thick braid, since otherwise it might trail the ground…or a really high ponytail…I think that'd actually look really pretty-a flow-y type thing."

Rikku stepped back, nodding to herself again. "So we'll do hair, and then get started on makeup. Agreed?"

"Not like we have much say in anything," Lulu murmured, and I chuckled and nodded as the Al Bhed girl set to work on Yuna and sent both of us out.

When the summoner appeared in the bedroom nearly an hour later, she looked more than changed: Rikku certainly had a way with hair. She poked her head through the doorway and gestured to me, and I nodded and stood, beginning to enjoy this.

As promised, Yuna's youngest guardian took at least twenty minutes burning my hair with a long machina device until it stayed curled-though she assured me that this was perfectly healthy and normal-and then smoothed it down with some sort of oil until it was wavy and shiny. She beamed as I looked in the mirror, stunned at what I saw, and then shoved me out the door and gestured for Lulu to come on.

"You look really good," Yuna complimented, and I smiled, sitting down on the bed.

"Thanks. I could say the same about you."

"Think Tidus will like it?" Her voice was teasing, taking on Rikku's tone, and I laughed and nodded.

"Of course he will. Your stylist did a great job."

Yuna chuckled, and we were silent until Lulu walked out with a slightly disgruntled expression forty-five minutes later. She looked beautiful, her hair piled on top of her head and then flowing easily down her back in thick, raven strands.

"I'm guessing Rikku's lucky she made it out with her life," I said with a smile as Lulu sat down beside me.

"She's lucky I didn't blow up this damn airship," she growled, and I laughed.

"Someone's grumpy!" Rikku said in a singsong voice, rumpling the mage's hair and still being careful not to mess it up. "But we still don't have much time: the dance starts in an hour and a half! So let's get makeup on, and none of you are allowed to show any of the guys what you look like until the dance starts, capice?"

"Yes ma'am," Yuna answered, nodding. Rikku clapped her hands.

"Good! So Yunie, your turn again!"

"And the cycle begins anew," Lulu sighed when summoner and guardian had disappeared into the bathroom. I chuckled.

"Mm."

As soon as Rikku was done, Yuna was ushered out-looking more stunning than I had thought possible, even with the Al Bhed's talent-and it was my turn again. I sat through about ten minutes of powder, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and whatever else she had in mind before I finally snapped. "Can I get up now?" I asked, exasperated, my eyes closed as Rikku dusted another layer of shimmering powder over my eyelids.

"Oh, fine. I'm done," she said with a huff of exasperation. I smiled, opening my eyes, and then gaped in the mirror. "Aren't I a genius?" Rikku asked smugly at my expression, and I nodded mutely. It wasn't too much, like I thought it would have been, but just a shimmering, sparkling layer of dust that glowed when I blinked. Other than that, a fine layer of powder covered my face, and a line of eyeliner on the top and bottom. "Okay, Lulu's turn! Out you go!"

The same thing went underway for the mage, and I found myself crossing my fingers and hoping that she wouldn't set something on fire. My prayers were answered, and Rikku ushered us quickly out and into another room to wait while she rounded up the men of the pilgrimage.

"It's going to be a madhouse in there," I said quietly as we all waited in one of the guest rooms. Yuna chuckled.

"And Rikku is one of the only ones I know that would be able to handle it." Lulu agreed, and then we waited.

As promised, it took perhaps a half-hour until Rikku discreetly entered our room and flopped down on the chair, sighing, "Honestly, they need to learn some manners! But I got it done, so now everyone looks decent enough to dance. Auron wouldn't let me make him wear anything but his boring old cloak, so we're stuck with that. He did let me do something to his hair, though, which was much easier than Wakka's. I mean, honestly! He has serious hair problems, if he thinks it's good when his hair sticks up a foot above his head. I had to smooth it down, then soak it, then smooth it again, and finally take a straightening iron to it. Tidus' was okay, and Kimahri really didn't have to do much. But!"-she sat up in her chair-"Come sunset, they'll see just how beautiful all the gals look and they'll regret not listening to me!"

"I'm sure they will," Yuna agreed, nodding, and Rikku stood after a look at the window. I hadn't realized that orange light was bleeding through the glass, and got to my feet as well.

"Time to go?" I asked the Al Bhed girl, and she nodded.

"First, though, we need everyone to see each other! What do you think-meeting alone or with the other guardians?"

"What do you mean by 'alone?'" I inquired with a raised eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes.

"Like, Yunie meets Tidus alone, so we can get both of their full reactions, Lulu meets Wakka, you meet Auron-etcetera."

"You assume _way _too much, Rikku," I said with a half-smile. She beamed and shrugged.

"My _assumptions _are usually right. So, alone or public?"

"I don't really care. Yuna?"

"Public, I suppose. What do you think, Lulu?"

"I have no preference either way."

"Okay!" Rikku exclaimed. "Public it is! We'll meet in the front of the airship! Everyone stay here, and I'll go tell Vydran to land outside Luca." She skipped off in her dress, and I chuckled to myself.

"Just a warning, to both of you: stay away from Raudy if you can," I muttered with a smile after a moment as the _Fahrenheit _began to descend.

"Why?" Yuna asked, tilting her head to one side.

"He's a freak when it comes to dances, that's why. And Lu, try not to kill him if it comes to it. He's a good player: we'll need him for the team after tonight." The mage chuckled.

"I'll try not to. No promises."

"That's all I ask." At that moment, Rikku poked her head in the doorway.

"Okey dokey, everyone! C'mon!" She beckoned us forward, and then fussed a little in the hallway before nodding and deeming us presentable. The Al Bhed girl led the way to the bridge, and then beamed before stepping aside and winking inconspicuously. She gestured for everyone to follow her out towards the moonlit streets of Luca, and there was muted murmurs of surprise as the two groups saw each other for the first time. Rikku really had staged it well.

As I always did, I drifted back to walk with Auron as we made our way out of the airship and towards Luca, and was surprised to find that Yuna's youngest guardian had probably forced him to smooth his normally tousled and messy hair back. I looked up at the guardian, smiling, and said in a low voice, "So Rikku won at least one battle, did she?" He laughed once, nodding, and looked down at me for the first time. Auron was suddenly silent for a few moments, and for once I felt self-conscious. "Too much?" I asked, shifting and suddenly feeling the need to smooth my dress or rake my fingers through my hair. I reached up to do so, mess with the curls or something, but the guardian abruptly reached out a hand and caught my wrist.

"No," he answered, though there wasn't as much firmness in his voice as usual. My hand froze, and he released my arm, withdrawing his own. "You look…" He was quiet again, and I found it hard to believe that he was actually searching for the right word. I found myself blushing, and looked down, staring at my feet as we kept walking. Auron said no more, sighing, and in the corner of my eye I saw him shaking his head as if silently laughing at himself. I allowed myself a small smile, looking up again.

The building where the dance was being held rose over the horizon after twenty or so minutes of walking, as well as a huge sign that advertised how it was 'for the young adults of Luca.' Tacky, but fun, like most Lucan dances were. It was near the water, right on the edge, with a dock that extended halfway into the lake where the stadium floated. The sun was reflected on the water, casting a brilliant orange glow over the whole city, and I nodded as Graav appeared out of the doors and waved.

"Just in time!" he called, grinning. I laughed, giving him a one-armed hug as he approached, and said with a wink, "I warned them about Raudy." My brother laughed, beaming, and nodded.

"Good thing you did, too," he joked. "Anyway, c'mon." Graav began leading us back toward the building, talking as he walked. "Everyone's still kind of setting up, but as soon as it's dark people will start to drift in. You can wait around, if you want, maybe talk to some of the guys." By "guys," of course, he meant the blitzball team-including Doram and Balgerda. Yuna nodded with a smile.

"Thank you," she said. "We will." Graav inclined his head, and then I absently followed him over to the team. Some of them were leaning against the building, some were sitting on the ground-and it seemed like _they _hadn't had a Rikku to "help" them shop.

I walked over, not really wanting to sit down in my dress and instead leaning against the side of the building, rolling my eyes when Raudy gave a long wolf-whistle.

"_Someone _dressed up," he remarked, and I sighed.

"Yes, in fact, I did," I answered, raising my eyebrows at him. He shrugged and looked away.

"All of the girls did, then. Including Yuna." I heard the surprise coloring the blitzer's voice, and I rolled my eyes at Doram.

"Your observational skills are just superb today," I answered dryly, and he shrugged innocently.

"I'm just saying."

"I noticed." Now my best friend since grade-school chipped in, and Abus chuckled.

"You've got all the girls against you now, Rau," he said with a grin. "How long was that? Less than a minute? Broke a record, I think."

"Yeah, I _do _have all the girls against me, don't I?" Raudy answered, staring pointedly at me, Doram, Balderga, and then Abus. He raised his eyebrows.

"That better not have implied what I think it did."

"You want to take a guess?" Raudy smirked, and Abus took his hands out of his pockets.

"Do I?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I dunno. Do you?"

"Oh, shut up," I said with a good-natured roll of my eyes.

"If one of you is going to tackle the other, then get on with it. We've all known you two for too long to think that you're _not _heading in that direction," Doram told them, exchanging a glance with me and then Balgerda, who looked relieved to have been invited into the conversation. Completely in-sync, Raudy and Abus glanced at us, then at the other, and finally leapt at each other. I laughed as Graav sighed and looked at me with an expression that said, _"Oh, egg them on, why don't you?" _but did nothing to stop them. As Doram had said, we'd all known the two for too long to try and stop one of their fights.

"What're you, a bunch of sadists?" I looked up at a familiar voice, and saw Tidus grinning as he walked over with Yuna and Rikku, watching the two Goers brawl on the ground. "Blitz is a low-contact sport, you know." I laughed, grinning.

"You heard about that?" A while back there had been a criteria issued for low-to-no-contact sports, and blitzball had been under the "low-contact" label. We, as players, had gotten a kick out of that, wondering how in the name of Yevon had _our sport _been made "low-contact." Anyone watching a practice or a game could have seen otherwise.

"Heard about it?" Tidus echoed disbelievingly. "Happened with us, too. Of course, no one agreed. Not with the way the Abes played."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. It was crazy, too."

I laughed, nodding in agreement, and glanced up as a couple of new arrivals appeared. Graav straightened.

"All right, break it up, you two," he said with a raised voice to Abus and Raudy, still throwing punches a couple of feet away.

"Yes, Mother," Raudy answered, backing up. Abus rolled his eyes skyward, and raised an eyebrow when his former opponent stuck his tongue out.

"Honestly, Rau, could you get any more immature?" he asked, and Raudy nodded.

"If you think this is immature, you should've seen him when we were six," I called, folding my arms across my chest. "This is an improvement."

"Shut _up_, or you're next."

"Ooh, how scary."

Doram, beside me, leaned back against the wall and said with a smirk, "Quit flirting, you two." As if on cue, Raudy jerked back.

"If you think we're flirting, you have serious issues," he informed her, shuddering. Abus, now looking thoroughly amused, shook his head.

"So Aey wasn't lying about Raudy getting even more immature," he mused, almost to himself. Doram chuckled and nodded.

"She's got a childish streak as well, mind you."

"Oh?"

"Extremely childish." The blitzer glanced my way and raised her eyebrows, and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up!"

**x.X.x**

**Okay, I'm tired. **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter XD**

**Good night.  
**


	34. Ninja Skills and Slow Dancing

**Holy dear sweet Nayru Farore and DIN! HOW long has it been? Like, months?(you gets a cookie if you know what Nayru, Farore, and Din are from)  
**

**Honestly, I'd be surprised if you all remembered this story XDDD**

**I'm such a lazy writer. If I stay away from FFX for too long, I start to drift away from my story and such, and I've taken to just concentrating on one thing at a time. That, and the evil writer's block. If I owned a jackhammer, writer's block would be so squished it would be writer's MUSH. Not block, but MUSH. PUTTY. DEAD.**

**Anyway, thanks to the usual people, yada yada yada, and I'm sooo glad you people are actually taking the time to read the updates from a rather eccentric author ^^;**

**Disclaimer: such a short chapter. I'm pitiful =3  
**

**x.X.x  
**

Within thirty minutes, according to Rikku, almost everyone had arrived. It was completely dark, except for the streetlights sprinkled along the edge of the sidewalk up and down the street and the lights that slowly blinked off in each house. All except the ones in the dance, where multicolored lights flowed out the window and danced on the ground with everyone's shadows blocking them now and then. I followed Doram, Graav, Abus, Balgerda, Bickson, and Raudy into the building, where we all met up with Yuna and her guardians. I noticed with a smile that Kimahri and Auron had both skillfully "wandered off" for the first part of the dance, but I had no doubt that they would be back before the night was done.

I joined Rikku right in the middle of the chaos, bouncing up and down with all the energy in the world. She was beaming, her cheeks flushed, and every now and then calling requests to the "band" on stage-which was comprised of any musically talented people in the room.

I was immensely amused when, around twenty minutes in, the Al Bhed rolled her eyes and dragged Lulu into the throng, forcing her to stay while Rikku kept jumping.

"You look like you're in pain," I said to her, having to raise my voice a fraction louder to be heard. She pursed her lips, stubbornly refusing to heed any of Rikku's requests to jump.

"I don't dance," the mage answered me tersely.

"Well, neither do I. Not like that's stopping me, though! C'mon, Lu, it'd be fun."

"Do you have a death wish?" Lulu asked sharply as Rikku once more tried to pull her into the crowd. She shrugged innocently.

"Nope! But I think you would like dancing! Or maybe smiling every now and then, know what I mean?"

"If you got your way, Rikku, Wakka's hair would be perpetually tame and Auron would be wearing a tutu," I interjected with a laugh. The Al Bhed beamed and nodded.

"Well, maybe not a tutu…maybe just a nice party dress or something!" she said, and I knew that she wasn't joking-despite her happy tone. I rolled my eyes, and then looked up and groaned as the man up on stage who had been previously singing the words to a rather fast song called, "Snowball!"

"Snowball?" Rikku echoed. "What's that?"

"It's a slow dance, here in Luca. Everyone makes a circle, the band chooses a few pairs of people, and they dance in the spotlight. Then, when "snowball" is called again, they separate and choose new partners. It goes on until everyone has been invited to dance, and then there's yet more slow-dancing," I sighed. "Although it can be hilarious, as long as you aren't dancing."

"I'll be outside," Lulu muttered.

"Oh, no you won't!" Rikku exclaimed, leaping forward to pull her back and shoving the mage to the edge of the crowd. "You're going to snowball if it kills you!"

"Rikku-!" Lulu exclaimed in surprise, attempting to take a step back. I winced in sympathy as the singer's attention was drawn to the two scuffling at the edge of the crowd, and with a mischievous grin he called, "Mage in the long purple dress, come on up!" Lulu froze, and I shot her a pained smile.

"Get it over with," I muttered, despite myself extremely glad that I hadn't been chosen. Michael, who I recognized playing the drums near the edge of the stage, knew how much I hated snowballing: so he made it a personal goal to torment me at every dance. The singer, whose name I had forgotten, had begun to catch on as well.

So it was as I was comforting Lulu and still selfishly trying to back away into the crowd so that _I _wouldn't be chosen, I heard him call in the microphone, "Aey, that you?"

"No," I answered without thinking, once more trying to dart into the crowd. But Rikku, beaming, shoved me forward again.

"Yeah, that's you. Your friend wouldn't want to snowball alone, would she?"

"I'm sure she'd be fine." I turned around to look up at him, and he wagged his finger at me.

"Aw, we're not going to do that to her! Besides, you've snowballed before, haven't you?" Finally I gave a resigned sigh.

"Yeah."

"Alright, so Aey, you get to snowball. Now we need to find partners for these two! Suggestions?" He sure knew how to rile up a crowd, that was certain. With a shout of glee Rikku called, "Wakka and Lulu!"

"Alright, Wakka, wherever you are, you get to snowball with Ms. Purple-Dress. What about poor, ignored Aey?"

"I wouldn't mind being ignored for once," I muttered to Lulu, who nodded her agreement, and then my eyes widened in disbelief as someone called, "Raudy!"

"He wouldn't…" But, as Raudy was pushed onto the fringe of the crowd, I amended my statement. "He would." My so-called rival since grade school turned around and muttered, "I'm going to kill you for this, Graav."

"Sure you will," my brother answered, the smile evident in his voice. "And then I'll have to fend off both you and my sister at the same time. I'm so scared."

"You should be," I interrupted, and then waited in submissive silence as the other couples were called-among them Rikku and Abus.

"Alright, everyone snowball!" With that, the disgustingly slow and soft music started, and I reluctantly rested my hands on Raudy's shoulders, his on my waist.

"You know, we might actually need to be on the same side later if we're going to kill Graav," I said as we swayed awkwardly.

"You're a guardian, aren't you? Use your…I dunno, your ninja skills or something. Meanwhile, I'll climb in his window and strangle him in his sleep."

"So you're going to kill him after me or something? 'Cause I'm pretty sure he only has one life…"

"If he's managed to survive living with _you _for twenty-six years, I'm sure he has more than one life," Raudy countered.

"I'd slap you, but then Graav would tease me about loving you. So I'll slap you later."

"Fine with me. Although he might not if we got into a good old-fashioned fistfight."

"I wouldn't count on winning if I were you. Ninja skills, remember?"

"Whatever."

We were interrupted by the singer's voice, calling, "And snowball!" I sighed and unattached myself, possibly hating this part more than the actual dancing. It was tolerable, but I hated choosing someone else to dance with. Rikku had no trouble: she could just bounce in, drag someone onto the dance floor, and bounce out. I, however, had to think about it. If I danced with _him_, would it be taken as something? Would I offend someone if I not-so-inconspicuously skipped over them? Lulu, of course, had it worse. So finally I walked over, took her shoulder, and melted into the crowd.

"I owe you," she told me, sighing in relief.

"Yeah, talk about awkward moments," I answered with a laugh. "I do this at a lot of dances, so I'd recommend laying low for a little while. Just make sure Michael doesn't notice you, and you're fine."

"Michael?"

"The drummer."

"Ah."

"Mm-hmm." I turned, waving, and then ducked out of sight and began keeping my eyes peeled for a red coat. I saw nothing, so I glanced out the window: still nothing.

I finally found him on the dock, sitting by the moonlit water while the slow music leaked out of the doorway. He was sitting on the edge, out of sight, but not in shadow. It struck me as a very Auron-like place, the moonlight washing everything silver and yet somehow hidden from everyone else. I walked up behind him, and saw from behind his head tilted up. So I followed his gaze, my own alighting on the sphere pool that was floating in the calm water, and for a moment thought that it was what he was staring at. But as I walked forward and sank down cross-legged beside the guardian, I saw that he wasn't staring at anything: his eyes were closed.

I glanced behind me, seeing his katana resting at his back, and suppressed the urge to say something. So for a moment we both sat silent, me watching the ripples in the lake and Auron watching his memories-I knew that expression from Gagazet. Finally, two auburn eyes opened, and he spoke.

"Having fun?" His voice was low and calm, and I looked over.

"I suppose. Are you?"

"It depends."

"On what?" Our voices never rose in volume, but we were out of earshot of anyone anyways.

"I'm enjoying sitting here, not the dance."

"Yeah, I didn't take you for a dance-kind of person. Not fast dancing, anyway."

"So you take me for a slow-dancing kind of person?"

I shrugged, answering, "I guess. Have you ever slow-danced before?"

"I would have had quite a deprived life had I not." He gave a small half-smile, and I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. So I shrugged again and didn't speak. "You're certainly quiet tonight."

"Am I?" I asked absently.

"Must I repeat myself?" There was no edge to his voice; in fact, he sounded the slightest bit amused. I shook myself and glanced sideways, rolling my shoulders for the third time.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just in a thoughtful mood or something."

"I guess you are. I'm assuming you escaped the 'snowball,' or were you coming out to invite me inside?"

"Now that you mention it, the latter is probably a good idea."

"It would be a fruitless attempt."

"Well, you said that you've slow-danced before," I offered halfheartedly. I had nearly surrendered, knowing by now that arguing with Auron was a lost cause, but my brow creased in confusion when he stood-being careful to remain out of view from the windows-and reached down to help me up.

"And I wasn't lying when I said so," the guardian answered, pulling me to my feet. "I assume you don't know how to slow-dance properly, if what you and Raudy were doing can be considered slow-dancing." I nearly defended myself and my poor dancing skills, but was too intrigued to do so as I wondered what he could be pointing toward.

"So are you going to teach me or something?" I inquired, and he smirked.

"If you ask, I don't think it would be too difficult."

"We'll see, if you want to try and teach me."

"Alright. Shall we start?" He was smirking, hidden behind his collar, but he was obviously amused-though if he was laughing at me or just happy I couldn't figure out. I nodded, and Auron stepped forward. "In all honesty, the form you were just dancing with Raudy is quite similar to the more…traditional way. A few minor adjustments, but it has many similarities as well."

"Like what?" The question was automatic: I knew now that if I wanted Auron to keep talking, I had to ask questions that more or less pushed his statements along.

"Your left hand still goes on my shoulder, to name one."

"What happens with my right hand, then?" I was curious now, wondering if I had been slow-dancing 'wrong' my entire life. Auron chuckled once, grasping my free hand in his own and bringing them both up to shoulder-height.

"This." After he had done that, I felt his other hand rest on my hip, and I tilted my head to one side.

"Okay. So…now what?"

"Follow me. Traditionally, the man leads, you know," he answered, smiling. Forgetting my nervousness for a moment at slow-dancing with the guardian, I scoffed.

"You say that like I was leading last time."

"You were."

"And you were watching?"

"One notices things."

I chuckled once, and then looked down at my feet to copy his movements. It really wasn't as easy as it looked, though I noticed that we were moving in a slow circle-like motion: not just swaying back and forth like Raudy and I had been doing. It was certainly different, but not so much. "Getting the hang of it?" Auron inquired after a moment, and I nodded once.

"I think so."

"Good. I assume you don't know how to twirl, either?"

"Huh?"

"As I thought. Follow my movements, let go of my shoulder for a moment, and spin." He extended the hand that was holding my own and laughed once as my eyebrows knitted together, awkwardly twirling and then switching hand positions when I had settled in the front again, my hand returning to his shoulder and his to my hip. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I guess not."

"You'll get faster." After that, for a couple of moments, there was silence broken only by the quiet scuffling of our feet sliding across the planks in the dock. I spun once more, finding that I did indeed become more fluid at it as time went on, and Auron smiled. "Of course, if no one else knows the proper way to slow-dance, you _will _have to lead," he said, guiding me back toward the edge of the dock.

"Providing I ever show my face for a snowball again," I answered wryly. "Which I probably won't."

"Oh, I doubt you'll be able to resist the lure."

"I doubt that."

The guardian smirked, and I twirled again as he asked, "Ready to try something else?"

"What else is there?"

"A few variations on this particular dance, a medium-fast, extremely 'country' style of dance called a Two-Step, and one that is almost exactly the same as your first dance."

"Two-Step?"

"As you wish." He stopped dancing, inclining his head in a gesture that I recognized as a "thank you for the dance" type-thing, and said, "It begins in this position as well, though is rather quick and more fast-paced than the typical slow-dance. However, I think it might be a good idea to start rather unhurried."

"Sounds good," I agreed, nodding. Auron dipped his head, and then continued.

"Follow my movements, and step forward twice, slowly." He did as he had said, and I looked down to mirror his movements. "And keep your head up: you'll follow better."

"Lucky," I muttered, but I looked up anyway. "You get to lead."

"Mm." Auron smiled, and then quickened the pace for a moment, taking two fast steps after the first sluggish ones. Then he repeated it, again moving in a circle to stay out of sight, and kept eye-contact with me. All the while I was repeating in my mind, _Slow, slow, quick-quick; slow, slow, quick-quick._

I fought to keep looking up instead of concentrating on our movements on the ground, and the guardian nodded. "Want to try and spin?" he asked wryly, and I chuckled and shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" This time, I found it easier to twirl than the first time I had tried, though I fumbled a little in getting back to my original position and switching hands. Auron gave little praise, but I saw in the frequent nods and smirks whether I was doing it correctly or not. He slowed and stopped as the music gradually began to change back to the rock genre, and then dipped his head again.

"Thank you for the dance," he said formally, though I heard the smile in his voice, and I chuckled.

"You're quite welcome. Thank _you _for fixing my slow-dance."

He laughed once, and then retreated to his original place on the edge of the dock and asked, "Going back in?"

"Probably. I think I'll be back soon, though, if that's alright with you."

"Mm."

I turned, leaving the guardian sitting by the water, and slipped back into the building. Rikku caught sight of me and waved, and I saw Lulu more or less hiding behind the punch and snack table. She was trying to look casual about it, but she was hiding all the same. I smiled to myself and walked over, grabbing a cup of the pink juice and telling the mage, "Found you!"

"Looks like it," she said, rolling her eyes. "But I could Thundaga this whole place in two seconds, so you really have no reason to be laughing."

"Two? Are you really that slow?"

"Very funny."

"It is, and you know it." I lightly punched her shoulder, and the mage smirked.

"Where were you, anyway?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"Outside."

"With Sir Auron?"

"Well, yeah, but that's beside the point."

"Mm-hmm."

I laughed, then sat down next to her and watched Rikku shimmying around, hopping like she was on fire, and the dance went on. For hours more, and every snowball I would walk out to talk with Auron: sometimes dancing, sometimes just sitting and _being _there. Finally, things began to cool down, and the dancers began to disperse as well. That was when Lulu and I deemed it safe to get up and meet Yuna and Tidus outside, each of them looking as though they had spent half the night dancing and the other half hiding. Auron appeared, then, too, and deflected any questions on where he had been. I chuckled to myself as the summoner's party waited for the rest of their guardians, and then we all walked back to the airship.

"Well…good night," I said awkwardly to Auron when we were standing in the cabin. The corners of his mouth turned up, and, dipping his head, he reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Good night."

**x.X.x**

**Disappointed? Yeah. Same here ^^;**

**Kehehehehehe Auron knows how to two-step...MWAHAHA.**

**Sorry about the crappiness of this chapter. I know. I'm lazeh and then I stink XDD**

**Thanks so much to all of the people that read this-I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again: can't thank you enough. **glomp****


	35. The Pursuit of Happiness

**BAM! I'M BACH!**

**Sorry to keep you waiting...again...**

**Honestly, this writing thing is getting on my nerves. Stupid writer's block XDDD**

**But I won't be as emo as I was last chapter! Because I'M BACK, BABEH! YEAH! (For liek, two seconds. Then, watch me in the morning. I'm going to open up Carpe Diem, stare at it, then close it and work on something else D8)**

**Buuuuut I promised mehself that I'd get a new chapter done by tonight, so here it is! At least I'm not procrastinating...**

**So tada! I don't believe there are any new readers (well, there might be, but...), but if I haven't mentioned you yet then just say so in your review ;)**

**Disclaimer: By the way, the chapter name comes from Nirvana, which is-in Buddhist faith-the state of complete happiness that comes after a ton of reincarnations. And the movie. WHICH I DO NOT OWN. (though I spelled it differently, I know ^^;)  
**

**x.X.x**

The days of sleeping late were long gone, as Rikku bounced through the cabin and woke everyone up only shortly after the sun had risen.

"Up and at 'em!" she called. "We're gonna get some weapons today!"

"But we already _have _weapons, ya?" Wakka asked groggily as we all walked blearily to the bridge where the Al Bhed were waiting.

"No, silly! Ultimate weapons! Masters of destruction! _The final upgrade!_" She struck a pose, then turned to her brother sitting in the spinning chair by the computer. "And Brother here knows where to find them! A few, anyway." She shrugged, and then turned to Tidus as he asked disbelievingly, "How does he know?"

"Oh, I dunno. He used to travel around Spira or something. Don't ask me!" She flapped her hand at the blitzer, and he spread his hands and stepped back. "Now, Bro, which are we gonna start with?"

Brother thought for a moment, and finally nodded to himself and said, "Yuna."

"Okey dokey! Yunie, you're up first!" Rikku pulled the summoner forward, telling her sibling, "Hey, so c'mon! Where's this fancy-schmancy weapon?"

"Calm Lands," Brother answered in his usual halting Spiran after thinking for a moment.

"Frana eh dra Calm Lands?" his sister inquired with a gesture of impatience, and he rolled his eyes.

"Dymg du dra syh fedr dra fiends," he sighed. "Huf crid ib yht mayja sa ymuha."

"E'mm crid ib frah oui maynh cusa syhhanc!" Rikku answered hotly, her eyebrows lowering in anger. Standing at my side, I heard Auron give a low chuckle as Cid appeared and stepped in between his two children and told them sternly, "Ev pudr uv oui tuh'd crid ib, E's vaatehk oui du Evrae. Fa ryja kiacdc, oui ghuf."

"Yeah, yeah," Rikku muttered, transferring to Spiran. "_He _started it, the big meanie."

"I don't care who started it, but if both of you keep this up Evrae is going to end it. Ys E lmayn?"

"Veha," Brother muttered. "Cunno, Rikku."

"Cunno," she growled.

"Now, you said that we needed to go to the Calm Lands?" Cid asked, and both of them nodded. "Good. Then everyone hold on!" He crossed to the controls and punched a few buttons, pointedly ignoring his two children sticking their tongues out at each other, but shoved the wheel forward a bit faster than usual so that both of them, hopping around as they mocked the other, were sent sprawling when the ship lurched.

With some dignity, Yuna held in a laugh, but Tidus couldn't contain a snort as Rikku and Brother pushed themselves back up.

"What're you smirking for?" she asked stormily, then muttered, "It's _his _fault." One hand covering his mouth, Tidus nodded mutely and turned away to fiddle with the computer, shoulders slightly shaking. I shook my head, nodding at Rikku, and then reached out to grab the railing behind me as the _Fahrenheit _rocked and shuddered.

A few minutes passed of silent flying, except for the two youngest Al Bhed on the ship having a mumbled, yet heated argument. Finally, the airship skidded on the dirt of the Calm Lands, and Yuna pulled Rikku away and led her party onto the grass.

"So where to?" Tidus inquired, folding both hands behind his head as he stretched. Rikku withdrew her tongue and turned away from Brother, making a face before answering, "The man with the fiends."

"Huh?"

"He's got an arena over that way." She vaguely gestured towards the right of Remiem Temple, continuing, "Brother said to talk to him." Yuna nodded.

"All right. Shall we go?" she asked, and her guardians nodded as the summoner started forward. I matched my pace to Rikku's, catching up to her, and inquired as we walked, "So, do you have any idea how Brother knows all this?" She shrugged.

"Well, I know that he used to travel a lot, like I said, with Dad. And he liked the Calm Lands 'cause he's a history nut, and he likes the sentimental value of them or something, so he spent a ton of time here. Keyakku used to go with him sometimes, and they were the ones that found the arena in the first place. I'm pretty sure that's how Brother knows where the weapons are, too, because the man who owns the arena told him about things for a mage, a summoner, a blitzball player, and a physical fighter. Brother took that to mean Lulu, Yuna, Wakka, and Auron, so…that's all he knows."

"Got it," I said, nodding, and then a moment passed. Finally I broke the silence again, asking a question that Rikku's explanation had brought up in my mind. "Who is Keyakku, anyway? I remember him from Home, but…" I trailed off, not sure how close she was to him, and Rikku looked down at her feet, shrugging as she punted a stray rock out of her path.

"Well, all of the Al Bhed are pretty close to each other. Keyakku was a really good friend of mine when we were younger, and he was there when Brother accidentally hit me with a Thunder spell, remember?" I nodded, and she shrugged. "Basically just an old family friend, I suppose, but when we were younger I used to fantasize, y'know, about us getting married and all that." She rolled her shoulders again, and then looked up. "Hey, look! The arena's right over there!" The youngest guardian suddenly pointed enthusiastically, and I followed her gaze until my own alighted on a door and half of a wall seemingly carved into the cliff face. I nodded, accepting the subject-change, and waited as everyone gathered around.

A man emerged out of the door as Yuna stepped forward to knock, and formally performed the prayer as if he had been waiting behind the wood for us to arrive, saying, "Lady Summoner. What can I do for you?"

"We were told to speak with you about something called an Ultimate Weapon," Yuna answered, globing her hands and then bowing at the waist in return.

"Ah, yes. Is that an Al Bhed I see in the back?" he asked with a wry smile. "Rikku Highwind, perhaps?"

"That's me!" She was back to her cheerful old self, I reflected dryly.

"Where's your brother?"

"Back on the ship with Vydran."

"I see. I take it he is the one who told the Lady Summoner here about the weapons?"

"Yep."

"Well, then, I had best offer you my assistance. What is it you're looking for?" There was silence as Rikku thought, saying finally, "Well, Brother said that we should look for Yunie's weapon first, so…"

"Ah, Nirvana?" the man interrupted her, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I guess. We also need the two other thingies, the crest and something else…" She shrugged helplessly, and the owner of the arena chuckled.

"The sigil, yes. They are both used to unlock Nirvana's true potential. I take it Brother knows where to find them as well?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Good." Now he turned to the whole group, a sly smile playing on his face. "But before I give her to you, you will need to do a few errands for me: prove you are worthy to wield Nirvana and such. She's picky, you know."

"'She?'" Tidus echoed abruptly, clearly questioning the logic of a weapon having a gender.

"There is life in all of the final weapons. That is why they are so different," the man explained. "Now, shall I tell you what you need to do?"

"Yes, please," Yuna answered before Tidus could, bowing slightly. He dipped his head.

"All right." He straightened, looking around at the group, before continuing. "I need fiends, you see. Live ones. If I don't have those, I cannot have them available to fight for tourists coming to the Calm Lands and summoner parties ready to practice their skills in a…relatively safe environment. Lately I've been running out of them, especially species native to the Calm Lands. That, as I'm sure you've guessed, is what you will help me with." He paused, and glanced at Wakka as the blitzer drew breath to ask a question. "Yes?"

"But…how're we gonna do that? If we fight them, the only way to bring them back would be to kill them, ya?" he asked, clearly thinking along the lines of a huge cage or rat trap-like device, and the man smiled.

"I have a few special weapons tailored to each of your fighting styles. You can use those to 'kill' the fiend, then its pyreflies will go back to me, and I can rejuvenate it. Does that suit all of you?" he inquired, and Yuna nodded.

"Thank you," she told him, and he laughed.

"Any time, my Lady. I am Usse, if it helps you."

"Then you have our gratitude, Usse."

"Now, go out and capture a few fiends for me!" He produced a long, willow staff from his robes, handing it to the summoner and then moving to her guardians. "You are Tidus, am I correct? Then this is yours." Usse gave the foreigner a sword that looked almost exactly like Brotherhood, but-like Yuna's-it was made of a dark wood. "And you would be Wakka,"-a light, shoopuf-hide blitzball-"Lulu,"-a wooden bangle that I assumed would affect her magic in some way-"Sir Auron,"-a long oak sword that mirrored his old katana's appearance-"Rikku,"-gloves with round knobs on the knuckles-"Kimahri Ronso,"-a long cherry lance with a dull tip-"and Aey." For me, Usse produced an elongated throwing knife with a leather-wrapped hilt and sharpened oak blade, similar to Auron's, and then turned back to the rest of the group. "All right. There are a total of nine fiends that I know of which are native to these lands. Capture them and I will grace you with Nirvana." One eye flitted closed in a wink, and then he turned and disappeared back into the arena.

"Okay, are we ready?" Rikku asked with a grin.

"I think so," Yuna answered, cautiously hefting her new staff.

"Then let's go catch us some fiends!"

The summoner led the way out into the Calm Lands, turning back to her guardians.

"I suppose we wait, then?" she asked lightly, and Rikku nodded.

"Yup! Or we could go out and ambush a few monsters, but whichever suits you!" I snorted quietly; since when did Rikku want to do what suited someone else? Lulu smiled wryly, glancing sideways at me and clearly thinking the same, both of us remembering the dance a day ago.

"All right. Since we probably shouldn't stand around in an open field for hours, how about we track them down?" Yuna suggested, going along with her cousin, who beamed.

"Okay! I'll scout ahead!" She sprinted off without another word, and a few moments later there was a shrill scream and a rushed call of, "I found one!"

"Better go and help her," Tidus said with a grin, jerking his head. "C'mon, Yuna." She chuckled and nodded, following the blitzer as they both ran ahead to rescue Rikku. Kimahri shadowed his summoner, following unobtrusively behind, and Auron, Wakka, Lulu, and I branched off in a different direction to look for other fiends.

We soon came across one, a Flame Flan-similar to a big pile of the Jell-O I used to eat as a child. I sighed, gesturing at Lulu.

"Your area of expertise, Lu," Wakka agreed, and she smiled grimly.

"If I were to die, I wonder how you all would handle these pathetic little creatures?" the mage mused, and I rolled my eyes.

"Easy. We'd either summon an aeon or pound on its squishy little hide until it died."

"That might take awhile."

"Yeah, but still. Are you going to use your magic or not?"

"Actually, I think I won't. I want to see how you'd handle these without an aeon _or _magic." She curtseyed and stepped back, gesturing for us to have a go at it, and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. But expect to be here all day."

"I know."

I sighed, turning around, and Wakka nodded and chucked his blitzball at the Flan. Soon after, I followed suit and hurled my new throwing knife at the fiend, my eyes widening slightly in surprise as it turned and opened its mouth, letting the knife sink in and then float suspended in the Jell-O-like body.

"What the…?" I muttered, backing up and wondering how I was going to retrieve it. "Hey…Lu? Think you could…?" I gestured at the knife, and she laughed.

"No. I'm not here, remember? You can't use my magic."

"Then how in the name of Yevon am I supposed to get my knife back? _Usse_'s knife?"

"I'll let you figure that out, then shall I?"

"That is cruel. Cruel and unusual punishment."

"Then I'll have fun watching you." I rolled my eyes again, sighing and muttering to myself, and stood off to the side and watched as Auron and Wakka gradually weakened the Flan. Minutes passed, and still the both of them hadn't made much progress and only barely avoided being burned to a crisp, and finally Auron asked as he fought, "Are you going to try and get Usse's knife back?"

"I was planning on letting the thing burst into pyreflies and _then _getting it back, actually," I answered, taking another step back as his wooden sword flicked past my face.

"So you plan to watch us all day until you get it back?"

"Are you trying to hit me with that thing?" I retaliated with a smile, taking another involuntary half-step away from his katana.

"I wouldn't be able to if I tried. Are you going to get your dagger?"

"Alright, fine. Don't let that thing fry me, will you?"

"Mm."

I sighed, staying on the balls of my feet as I circled around the fiend and tried to get around to its back as Auron kept it facing one direction, and finally glanced at him and nodded. He inclined his head in the Flan's direction, his katana still stuck in the jellylike substance, and I finally darted forward and plunged my hand into its body, grabbing the knife and making a face as the gooey material clenched around my arm, making a squelching noise as I pulled it out.

"Blech," I muttered, shaking the Jell-O off of my hand and weapon, then looked up and danced out of the way as the fiend shot a Firaga in my direction.

"Got it?" Lulu asked in amusement, and I resisted the childish urge to stick my tongue out at her, nodding instead.

"No thanks to you," I told the mage with a smirk, lightly punching her shoulder. She chuckled, and now I turned and ran forward again, stabbing the Flame Flan with my knife instead of throwing it. Auron nodded, and I smiled back at him.

Minutes later, Lulu decided she had had enough. By now Tidus, Yuna, Kimahri, and Rikku had finished fighting their own fiend and had come back to us, wondering what the holdup was. Evidently, Rikku was getting impatient, and a sudden Blizzaga shot down sent the Flan down in a flood of pyreflies. "_Thank _you," I said in exasperation, jogging over to the mage. "For finally coming to your senses."

"I guess we should thank Rikku, though, ya?" Wakka asked with a grin, looking at the Al Bhed, who giggled.

"Yup! Anyway, we have a Skoll and a Flame Flan now, right? So…two out of nine."

"Mm-hmm," the mage replied. "What's next?"

"Sir Auron?" Yuna asked, tilting her head to one side. The legendary guardian thought for a moment.

"The next two most common that come to mind are Nebiros and Shred," he answered, naming the giant wasp-like fiend and the other that resembled a huge boulder-the one that only Auron or Kimahri could effectively fight.

"All right," Yuna agreed, nodding. "Should we split up?"

"That would probably be best."

"Okay. I'll go with Kimahri. Lulu, Aey, can you two work together?"

"As long as she doesn't decide to forfeit again," I muttered teasingly, and the mage rolled her eyes as Rikku and Auron were paired up, along with Wakka and Tidus.

"Good. So…Kimahri and I will look for Nebiros and Shred. What other fiends are there?"

"Anacondaur, Ogre, Chimera Brain, Malboro, and Coeurl," Auron recited easily, his memory once again our only guide. Yuna nodded.

"Lulu and Aey, you two take the Ogre and Coeurl," she told us, naming the huge beast with fists bigger than its head and the graceful, whiskered tiger that usually proved to be easy to fight. So one difficult fiend and one effortless one. I nodded to myself as Yuna continued. "Wakka, Tidus, you two look for the Anacondaur. Rikku and Sir Auron, you two can take the Chimera Brain and Malboro." She stopped and thought for a moment. "Is that all right with everyone?"

There were scattered nods, and finally Yuna jerked her head decisively. "So we'll meet back at the arena when we're done. If something goes wrong, don't hesitate to use your real weapons. Everyone ready?"

"Yes ma'am!" Rikku said excitedly, and I chuckled to myself and shot a sympathetic smile at Auron. No doubt she would be an endlessly working chatterbox with no "off" switch, and that-more than anything, I guessed-would be what tested the guardian's patience. He nodded back at me, and then Lulu and I turned to face the north, walking toward the cliffs and the Scar as we searched absently for a glimpse of a tiger or a humanoid, furry, almost Ronso-like fiend.

It took twenty minutes of walking, bursting into a sprint to avoid fiends we _didn't _want to fight, walking again, stopping to fight if we were unfortunate enough to be sucked into a battle, and then nearly breaking one of our borrowed weapons, until a white tiger appeared from behind one of the rock formations, silently prowling after a wild chocobo.

"There," Lulu murmured, hands glowing in preparation to fight. I nodded, adjusting my grip on my dagger, and we both moved around to the fiend's back so that it wouldn't notice us. The Coeurl, of course, was too intent on the chocobo being hunted to pay much attention to its surroundings, and it was relatively easy to sneak up on it even for people without any hunting or tracking skills.

We were a mere twenty feet away when the tiger wriggled its haunches to pounce on the chocobo, though it was still a little bit of a run away. What we didn't expect, though, was for the fiend to start running and then skid to a halt and reel backwards as a familiar yellow blur knocked into her comrade, and then Lola was standing in front of the tiger, feathers fluffed up to their full potential and wings outstretched, her jaws gaping in a blood-chilling screech.

"Now!" Lulu hissed, making a slashing motion with her palms and sending a crackle of electricity shooting down from the sky and stopping the hunter in its tracks. I flicked my wrist, cursing to myself as the blade veered a little off course and hit the Coeurl's lower ribs instead of the fatal shot I had been aiming for. It was enough to make it whip around, though, its attention diverted from my chocobo, who quickly pounced and buffeted the creature with her feathers, scratching blindly with her talons. Another flood of lightning, and the tiger yowled and collapsed.

Lola bounded over to both of us, nuzzling the side of my face and then bumping my shoulder so that I was knocked backward on the ground, the bird standing over me with her trademark goofy grin. I chuckled and pushed her away, getting to my feet and dusting myself off as I asked Lulu, "So I guess we have to find the Ogre now, huh?"

"Shouldn't be too hard," she agreed, nodding. "Unless your little monster decides to follow us."

"Mm," I answered, absently scanning the horizon for the fiend. Lulu chuckled as we started walking, Lola bouncing along behind us, and I looked up.

"What?"

"You sounded like Sir Auron. 'Mm.' I think he's rubbing off on you."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked with a smile, and she shrugged innocently.

"Not necessarily."

We kept walking, easily finding the Ogre because of its bulk, and by the time that battle had passed Lola had disappeared. So, job done, Lulu and I headed back to the arena, where Yuna, Kimahri, Rikku, and Auron were already waiting. Tidus and Wakka were the last to appear, and as soon as they did Usse opened the door, smiling broadly.

"Impressive," he said. "You deserve this." He tossed a tiny silver shard onto the ground, which expanded and morphed until it had become a treasure chest. Hesitantly Yuna stepped forward, but when she tried to open it, the lid stayed firmly sealed shut. Usse raised his eyebrows, asking, "You don't have the mirror?"

"This one?" Yuna asked, withdrawing a small circular disc from the sleeve of her dress, though its surface was clouded and foggy. He pursed his lips, shaking his head.

"No. In Macalania Woods, there is a crystal that waits for that mirror, which is good for nothing else. Give the mirror to that crystal, and it will give you the one that you need."

"Macalania?" Rikku interjected, and Usse nodded.

"You will need such a mirror for the other weapons as well," he said, and then smiled slightly as an audible raspberry came from somewhere in the back of the group.

"Okay," Rikku sighed. "I s'pose we're going to Macalania Woods, then." She turned to Usse. "Can we come back here for Nirvana?" He laughed and nodded, taking the treasure chest back.

"But of course. Be quick, though: she is not a patient one."

**x.X.x**

**Honestly, I'm so proud of myself. I finally got it done! Now I don't have to feel guilty or anything!**

**But, of course, I had to go and forget about the Celestial Mirror, so Yuna forgot about it too! Or...Brother did...**

**Yeah. Cid likes threatening to feed his children to Evrae, in case you didn't notice. (And doesn't he have the most amazing last name~? Highwind...Highwind...)**

**So, obviously, I'm not going to do EVERYONE'S final weapons. Just four =D (Sorry...lazy writer, you know)**

**As always, I'm purdy sure I have the best readers in the world. And I'm not just gushing about how amazing everyone is or anything: I seriously do. Every one of you gives the best reviews instead of just, "I liek it lolz update soon heehee!" Suggestions, praise, all that jazz (XDDD). **

**So, without getting ridiculously mushy or meaningful, thanks!  
**


	36. I'm Lovin' It

**Well, that was a quick update. Lawl. So sad.**

**XD ANYWAY...**

**Thanks toooooooo...**

**Queen of Obscene, HorseKid109,(both new~! Amazing, isn't it?) Pitch Hart,**** Yume97****, ****Natlii-x****,** **Boredom Queen of Insanity, ****toucanmel94, ****Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira! *faint***

**So what if I sound desperate? I'mma sound MOAR desperate in my very last ending chapter... You'll see 8D**

**Oh, gawd, we're already at chapter 36... *faint again***

**Disclaimer: Boo.**

**x.X.x  
**

We left the Calm Lands, making our way back to the airship and suffering through a heated lecture from Rikku to Brother on the importance of not leaving details (like the Cloudy Mirror) out when informing people of what to do, which was eventually stopped by Cid threatening something about Evrae in Al Bhed and then sending his children to the cabin. I laughed to myself, remembering the fights between Graav and I where the whole blitzball team had taken Cid's role of breaking things up, though everyone knew I would never be able to beat him in a fistfight. Not that it threatened to get that serious…most of the time.

"To Macalania, right?" Cid asked, interrupting my thoughts, and Yuna nodded.

"Yes, sir," she answered with a smile, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"You can stop with the 'sir,' you know. That's like me calling my niece Lady Summoner or something," Rikku's father told her with raised eyebrows, and Yuna chuckled.

"Yes si-" She stopped herself, then continued, "Okay." Cid nodded decisively, then turned to the controls and powered up the ship, steering it towards Macalania.

It didn't take long until we were drifting over the canopy, sliding down the ladder that extended below the _Fahrenheit _into a clearing, and starting randomly down one of the trails.

"Dead end," Rikku huffed. "So I s'pose we try the other one."

"That _would _be logical," Auron answered, and then sighed as the Al Bhed abruptly rounded on him with her hands on her hips.

"Well _you _don't need to butt in, because I _know _what I'm talking about, and no one asked your opinion, Mr. Not-Gonna-Talk-If-It-Kills-You, so you can just be quiet like you always are!" She turned back around with a huff and tramped back down the trail, everyone else following close behind and shooting curious looks at both Auron and Rikku, probably wondering-like I was-what in Spira had happened in the Calm Lands between the two.

I slowed down to walk at the back next to Auron, glancing up inquisitively. He raised an eyebrow, but chuckled once and explained, "To put it bluntly, she wouldn't shut up during the whole trip as we were fighting, so I had to call to attention the fact that she was scaring even the fiends away."

"So you didn't suddenly snap and start screaming at her?" I asked wryly, and he smirked.

"Almost. I think I might have if she had decided to keep talking after I told her to at least lower her voice."

I laughed quietly as we emerged back into the clearing, and Rikku led the way to the only other path, her feet crunching loudly on the dead leaves as the rest of us trailed behind. We hadn't gone far when a soft, timid voice interrupted Yuna, calling, "Lady Summoner?" She turned, searching for the source, and found it in a worried-looking woman standing with her hands on her son's shoulders.

"Yes?" Yuna asked, smiling.

"I am sorry to trouble you, but have you seen my husband? We were going to stop to rest, but when I looked up again I couldn't find him."

"No…I don't think we've seen anyone other than you," the summoner answered apologetically. "But we can help you look for him."

"Would you?" Her voice was pleading, and Yuna smiled warmly and nodded.

"I'd be happy to. If we find him, I'll help him get back to you."

"You have my thanks, my Lady."

Yuna dipped her head, turning east down the other trail and asking her guardians as we walked, "Was I the only one that saw the…path, next to that woman?"

"You mean the big glittery one that was floating in the air?" Rikku amended, nodding. "Yup, I saw it! You think that weird crystal's up that way?"

"I'd be surprised if it wasn't," Lulu replied, nodding.

"Then let's find this lady's husband and skedaddle on up there, huh?"

"Sounds good," Tidus agreed, nodding. Yuna took the lead, trekking up the trail until she saw a distinct brown-haired head, and she picked up the pace until she caught up to the woman's husband.

"Excuse me…?" the summoner asked tentatively, and he turned.

"Lady Summoner!" The man performed a hurried prayer, asking frantically, "Have you seen my-"

"Your wife?" Rikku interrupted, perking up. "Yup! She's looking for you, too. Back over that way; c'mon!" The Al Bhed turned and skipped off down the path, and I chuckled. We really hadn't gone far, but it was strange what a few trees would do to one's sense of direction.

We had soon reached the woman who had first called Yuna, and both of them stepped forward in a quick embrace before turning back to us.

"Thank you so much," the woman said fervently, bowing. "I will ask no more of you."

"Okey dokey!" Rikku said cheerfully. "Now are we gonna head up that way or not?"

"Of course," Yuna sighed teasingly, staying just behind her cousin as the bounced up the glittering path, and turning to lift her hand in a wave at the couple. As she turned back, though, her brow creased thoughtfully.

"What's up?" Tidus inquired, cocking his head. Yuna shrugged.

"Didn't they have a child with them?" she asked, and he looked up at the trees as he thought back.

"I think so, yeah. And the woman said that she wouldn't ask any more of us-" His musing was interrupted by Rikku, who called, "Look what I found!" She ran back to us, holding a young boy by the hand, and pointed at him. "He said that he ran off to go and look for his dad, and then got lost right next to that crystal! Some luck, huh?" A startled laugh burst out of Yuna, and she nodded.

"Luck, indeed." The summoner knelt until she was at the boy's level, and smiled. "Ready to go back to your parents, now?" He nodded, wide-eyed, but backed up and clung to Rikku's leg as Yuna tried to take him. The Al Bhed giggled.

"I'll meet you at the crystal, 'kay?" she asked, taking a step forward with the boy still latched onto her shin. "Tell me if that mirror works."

"We will," Tidus promised, nodding. "Good luck getting your new friend to let go of you." Rikku laughed again before turning and hobbling back down the path and out of view, and Yuna straightened.

"…All right then," she said vaguely. "That was a rather rare stroke of luck."

"Mm-hmm," Tidus agreed, standing next to her. "Ready to go?"

"I suppose."

Yuna walked up the trail, going in the direction Rikku had gestured to, and soon came up on the huge, sparkling, brightly glowing gemstone. As soon as she did, the mirror wedged up one of her sleeves slid out and hit the ground with a low ringing sound, bursting into fragments that reformed as the guardians stepped out of the way and giving off a blindingly bright golden glow.

When the light had died, Yuna was the first to take a hesitant step forward and examine the previously clouded mirror, whose surface now shone with a dull silver sheen and perfectly reflected her face. "Beautiful…" she murmured, tracing the gilded edges of the glass with her fingertips and then looking up as Rikku sprinted back up the path and skidded to a halt, nodding at the mirror.

"Looks like Nirvana is as good as ours," the Al Bhed said, beaming. "So, shall we head back to Vydran?"

"Mm-hmm," Yuna answered absently, still starting curiously at the Celestial Mirror. Rikku pulled her forward, walking at the front of the group as we retraced our steps and headed back to the airship where both Brother and Cid were waiting.

"Got it?" Yuna's uncle called, letting down the ladder. His daughter nodded, gesturing to the summoner, and scampered easily up the wooden rungs.

"Yup!" she replied cheerfully. "So now we've gotta head back to the Calm Lands to get Yunie's staff!"

"All right." Cid waited until all of the guardians had climbed into the ship, then called, "Everyone hold on!" He shoved the wheel forward, and I took a step to steady myself as the airship jerked, settling into a smoother flight as it glided to the Calm Lands.

Cid stopped it right above the arena, and Yuna climbed down first and met Usse with her guardians close behind.

"So you have the mirror now?" he asked, eyes twinkling in amusement. Yuna smiled and nodded respectfully, withdrawing the Celestial Mirror as Usse once again created the treasure chest. This time, she held the mirror in one hand and pried open the lid with the other, carefully withdrawing Nirvana.

My eyes widened, taking in the azure body topped with what resembled a crimson-and-gold phoenix, gems glittering at its heart. A tassel hung at the end, and Yuna carefully straightened, giving Nirvana an experimental twirl. Usse nodded appreciatively. "She likes you," he told the summoner, whose face broke into a wide smile.

"Thank you," she answered, bowing deeply. "We are in your debt."

"No, my Lady," Usse interrupted gently. "There is no debt to pay. And it is I who should be thanking you, as I believe you _will _be the one to bring us the Calm." Surprise flitted across Yuna's face, but she bowed again.

"Yes, sir. Thank you." She echoed her earlier words, and Usse dipped his head.

"I recommend visiting Belgemine's home when you have the time. She has something that will be of use to Nirvana."

"We will," the summoner promised, nodding as she turned away. "And we will be back, if it suits you."

"But of course."

Yuna led the way this time, Rikku staying obediently a few paces behind, and as we began walking she asked, "Should we go to Remiem Temple now? Usse said that it held something for Nirvana…" The summoner trailed off, glancing at her new staff and then looking over her shoulder at Usse, who had taken her old one and promised to keep good care of it. Auron nodded silently, answering, "Since we may not get another chance to see it, that would be wise."

"Of course," Rikku muttered mutinously. "Anything _you _say is 'wise.'"

"It was Yuna's idea," Auron retaliated calmly, smiling ever so slightly.

"But you still said it!" she huffed, turning away. "Never mind, I'm done talking." The Al Bhed was silent for a moment, and I almost believed that she meant it. In a carefully subtle gesture, though, Auron looked down at me and counted off from three with his fingers. As soon as his index finger went down to signify zero, perfectly timed, Rikku burst out, "But why do you have to be such a meanie all the time? You're always like, 'Oh, that's not wise,' or 'You're going to have to redo that,' or 'I'm not the one who is going to get everyone's heads chopped off and fed to chocobos and…stuff!'"

"I thought you were done talking." Auron's tone said that he hadn't believed her for a second, but he certainly seemed to be having fun making the young, gabbling Al Bhed eat her words. She closed her mouth and stared murderously at him, and after a second started a stream of rapid sign language that involved a lot of gestures I wasn't sure I wanted to have translated. Auron raised an eyebrow, but I was sure he didn't like Rikku knowing something he didn't, especially if it was as big as a language.

Yuna lightly cleared her throat, rather effectively stopping her cousin's rampage, and let out a long, piercing whistle for her chocobo, which I belatedly remembered we needed to cross the gap that barred the way to Remiem Temple. I followed suit, hoping Lola might have at least had a change of heart since she had fought with us against the Coeurl, but no such luck. She still came bounding across the plains at my call, head butting my torso and nearly knocking the wind out of me. I stepped back to steady myself, almost putting my back foot over the edge of the fissure as I did, and Auron reached out with a raised eyebrow to catch my arm. He smirked as I recovered, saying, "You should thank me for saving your life."

"Oh, right," I answered, voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "_Thank _you, oh mighty one."

The guardian laughed once, then mounting his chocobo with a resigned sigh, and followed Yuna as she flew across and landed on the other side with her cousin close behind. Both girls rode off toward the spindly bridge that no one but Lola liked, and as soon as the others had made it, we followed as well.

Once again Lola and the others were set free, though she and Rainbow watched with half-lidded eyes as if wondering if it would be worth it to run across the bridge and scare Lulu half to death as she crossed. The mage turned, though, and raised her hands as if about to cast a spell, smirking as Rainbow let out a high squeak and ducked behind Lola. After that, neither of them bothered us.

By the time all of the guardians were safely across, Yuna had already reached the temple, but was standing in its center with a slightly confused look.

"You Sent her," Auron told the summoner, though his own voice sounded a little hesitant. "Did you expect her to be here?"

"Kind of…" Yuna said, shrugging. "Usse said…" In confusion she withdrew the small pouch containing the Farplane Wind that Belgemine had given her just before Yuna had Sent her, and warily opened it up to withdraw the bottle. "Could this be what he meant?" She stopped, though, and her brow creased further as she peered deeper into it. "This wasn't there before…" the summoner murmured, reaching in to pull a tightly rolled sheet of parchment out. Cautiously, Yuna slid the ribbon off of it and unfurled it, staring hard at the faded symbols printed on the paper. Beneath them were small notes in Spiran, and she cautiously mumbled, "Etel…orioa…niresa…?" Almost immediately, the summoner gave a small gasp and dropped her staff as Nirvana glowed. It lasted less than a second, but the sheet of paper turned to ashes in Yuna's hand and gave her newest weapon a silvery sheen. She stared for a moment, and then shrugged slightly and reached down to pick it up.

"Okey dokey, then!" Rikku said cheerfully, breaking the mood and nodding at Yuna. "So do we need anything else? The crest-thing?"

"I don't know," the summoner answered helplessly. "Perhaps we should ask Usse?"

"M'kay!" Without another word the Al Bhed bounced off, running across the bridge and whistling for the chocobos. I crossed more slowly, looking back at Auron and waiting as he finally turned and tore his gaze from the statues lining the interior wall, catching up to me and mounting Bruno as I followed suit with Lola.

We made our way back to Usse, who greeted our party with a smile. "Back so soon?" he asked knowingly. "I take it you have found both the crest and sigil?"

"We…don't necessarily know where the crest is," Yuna hedged, nodding to acknowledge the fact that he had somehow answered her unasked question. He raised his eyebrows.

"My Lady, it seems as though you already have it." Usse gestured to Nirvana, who was-again-glowing as she had with the piece of paper that I now saw was the sigil. Yuna's eyebrows knitted together, and she knelt to rummage through a pouch that always hung at her neck, taking it off and setting it on the ground. I had learned early on that it could hold fifty potions without stretching, so I could only assume that it had been enhanced in some way. Usse nodded to himself as she hesitantly pulled out yet another sheet of paper with a questioning look, this one emblazoned with an unfamiliar crest with a single word in what seemed to be the same language that the summoner had stumbled through when she had found the sigil.

"We found it, before I even became a summoner," she said haltingly. "Lulu and Wakka told me to keep it, but…I thought I lost it years ago."

"Well, it is a good thing it returned, hm?" Usse asked with a knowing chuckle, taking it from her. "I am surprised you could read this language for Nirvana's sigil, but she seems appeased enough." Then his eyes shifted to the paper, and he murmured what I surmised to be the word printed on the parchment. It, too, turned to ashes, and then the older man spread his arms wide as if presenting the newly upgraded weapon. "She is yours," he told Yuna with a smile, and she bowed deeply.

"Thank you."

"Of course."

"So, back to the ship now?" Tidus asked, and Rikku grinned.

"Yup! And then we can keep getting weapons!"

"Who else are they for?" Wakka's voice came from somewhere near Lulu, I noticed with an inward smile. The two had "accidentally" ended up walking together more and more these days, but anyone who asked about it either had the ends of their hair singed with a Thunder or a blitzball in their face.

"Brother said that he knew where yours, Auron's, and Lulu's were," Rikku answered the flame-haired blitzer. "Along with Yunie's, but we already have hers." She nodded to herself, and then shrugged. "So I guess it's up to him who we do next." Wakka crossed his arms and dipped his head, and Rikku waved up to Cid as we reached the airship. The ladder was let down, and when we were up Yuna's cousin asked, "So, Brother, who next?"

"Very hard question…" he answered his sister, thinking for a moment. "Wakka, yes?"

"M'kay, sounds good!" The Al Bhed girl turned to the blitzer, who looked surprised. "Wakka, you up for some blitzball?" His surprise melted away in eagerness, answering, "I always am, ya?" and Rikku grinned.

"Awesome! Okey dokey, Bro, you know where to go?"

"Luca," Brother replied immediately.

"Got it. And don't leave out any details this time, cool?"

He rolled his eyes, but nodded, and Rikku snapped her fingers at her father. "'Kay, pops, we ready to split?"

"You need to relearn proper Spiran," Cid muttered, shaking his head, but nodded. "We're ready."

"All right! Let's go!" She bodily shoved her father towards the controls, and he stopped himself before he fell on the intimidating number of bells and whistles. He did, however, grab the wheel and use his momentum to jerk it forward, possibly on accident, and the _Fahrenheit _shuddered and sent everyone sprawling on the ground.

"Everyone okay?" Cid asked absently as we all pushed ourselves up. Tidus groaned.

"No, I think I broke my shoulder," he complained, rubbing said shoulder, and Cid nodded.

"Good. So long as no one's hurt," Rikku's father answered without really paying any attention, and I saw my first real-life double take in Tidus, who was raising both eyebrows at him. But Cid paid the blitzer no heed, steering the ship towards Luca to get Wakka's weapon, crest, and sigil: all of which, as Brother said, were in my hometown.

It touched down only a few minutes after we had all recovered, and not for the first time I marveled at the speed at which the airship could cross all of Spira. I pushed myself up, the first out the door and stepping onto the concrete with Wakka close behind, and turned back to Brother.

"Any idea how we're supposed to _get _the crest, sigil, and weapon?" I asked him, and he thought for a moment, apparently searching his memory.

"Bartender has weapon," he said finally. "Not know where crest and sigil is, yes?"

"Helpful enough." I shrugged, turning away, and headed towards the only bar in Luca as Yuna caught up to us. "So, apparently we're off to the bar first," I told the summoner, and she nodded.

"Rikku mentioned that. Do you know where the crest or sigil is?"

"Not really. Somewhere in Luca, but that could mean at the bottom of the fountain for all we know. Or hiding under a hotel room's couch, in someone's pocket, on the roof of a building: the possibilities are endless."

"I suppose," Yuna sighed. "But at least we know where the weapon is."

"Mm."

Upon seeing us, the bartender-a short, redheaded and cheerful woman-smiled and nodded. When Yuna came up and asked for something Brother had called "the World Champion," she beamed.

"I must say, I'm surprised it's taken you this long to ask for it!" she chirped. "You've certainly won enough games to deserve it!" She looked around, and then reached down and pulled up a red, spiked disc that more or less resembled an oriental Frisbee and surreptitiously handed it over the counter to Yuna. "Better hurry with that crest and sigil, though: Usse said that he was getting impatient." My brow creased as I wondered just how much this woman knew, and if there was some sort of cult stationed all over Spira with final weapons or something. She winked, whispering, "Check in the Auroch locker room, 'kay?" and Wakka nodded.

"Will do," he said, taking the World Champion and then taking the lead. We walked over to the stadium, not seeing the Goers anywhere, and as soon as we reached the locker rooms everyone tore them apart to search for the crest. Finally, Rikku popped out of the debris with a triumphant, "Found it!" and a sheet of paper clenched in her hand. "Although I think we might need to take this to Usse to read again…" She scrutinized the parchment, even turning it upside down, and gestured helplessly. "But, anyway, now we've gotta go find the sigil, right?"

"The sigil," Yuna agreed. "Which, of course, could be anywhere."

**x.X.x**

**So. I have a goal now.  
From reading some truly amazing stories here, I have made it a personal goal to seriously improve my storytelling skills. I think that my writing is decent, in terms of grammar and sentence structure and all that, but I just can't make a good story (especially in terms of characters and suspense and drama. I'm too...canon about it. Cliche. Whatever). So I'll have to improve that ^^**

**Anyway, there is a beautiful new poll on my beautiful page that I would liek mah beautiful readers to beautifully take. If it so pleases zem. **

**Soooooooo...how 'bout them apples? I feel emotional today (XD), so I'm super anxious to get to Sin and have some eyerolling-ly mushy moments...**

**Keheheheheh.  
**


	37. Snow White: The REAL Story

**HI THAR. **

**Gaiz, guess wut? I tinks we're gonna get to forty chappies~!**

***Ahem***

**Anywayyyy...**

**There was a brain-fart-typo-area in the last chapter, in which I was being really tired and a general n00b and forgot about the crest burning. So I fixed it and included it in THIS chapter.**

**Thanks to everyone, blah dee blah blah blah, and more AuronAey moments coming up. Especially in Sin and right before, but there'll be some stuff sprinkled hither and thither. **

**Yup. Disclaimer: Don'tcha just hate disclaimers?**

**x.X.x  
**

"Will do," he said, taking the World Champion and then taking the lead. We walked over to the stadium, not seeing the Goers anywhere, and as soon as we reached the locker rooms everyone tore them apart to search for the crest. Finally, Rikku popped out of the debris with a triumphant, "Found it!" and a sheet of paper clenched in her hand. "Although I think we might need to take this to Usse to read again…" She scrutinized the parchment, even turning it upside down, and gestured helplessly as she stumbled through the words. Despite her lack of knowledge of the language, however, as Wakka withdrew it the World Champion gave a brief flash of light that faded as the paper burst into flame (Rikku screamed as she dropped it) and curled up before disintegrating into ashes. A moment passed. "Awesome!" she burst out, pumping the air. "But, anyway, now we've gotta go find the sigil, right?"

"The sigil," Yuna agreed. "Which, of course, could be anywhere."

We spent a day looking in all the impossible places. It wouldn't just be lying on a bench, right? So we split up. One group took the stadium and the locker rooms; the other took the general market and square area; the last took the houses and the suburbs. But, in the end, we were all forced back to the fountain in defeat. The sigil simply _was not _here.

"S'okay, ya?" Wakka sighed. "Don't really need it, anyway."

"Of course we do," Yuna interrupted vehemently. "We're going to find it, we just…need to try something else."

"Like what?" Tidus inquired, flopping onto a bench. "Parading through the streets with a sign that says, "NEED THE JUPITER SIGIL?'"

"As a last resort, maybe." I hadn't expected Yuna's voice to be so frank, and-apparently-Rikku hadn't, either. She let out a relaxed giggle.

"How about we go chill or play some blitzball or something? Maybe we'll find it if we're not looking for it," she suggested lightly.

"Could work," Wakka sighed, turning to Tidus and I. "Up for a blitz game?"

"I haven't been in a competition in awhile," I agreed, nodding. "Sounds good."

Of course, there were no shortages of blitzball tournaments in Luca, and it didn't take long before Wakka and Graav, as captains of the Aurochs and the Goers, had each agreed to play the other in the upcoming end-of-the-year-celebration game.

"Do you play tournaments to celebrate everything?" Auron asked dryly as we walked back to the inn to prepare for the game the next day. I shrugged.

"Pretty much. That's why the Goers are the best team in Spira, of course," I answered nonchalantly, smiling coyly. "We play all of the games."

"Don't count your chocobos before they hatch!" Wakka called from the front of the group, still walking next to Lulu. "After the Aurochs are done with ya, you'll be eatin' your words."

"Oh, really?" I asked. "Can I take that as a challenge?"

"There's not much of another way to take it, ya? Bet you fifty Gil we're gonna win tomorrow."

"A hundred?"

"Two hundred."

"Deal." I laughed to myself, knowing that-whatever bets we made-it would all stay with Yuna in the end. It was just the satisfaction of having two hundred Gil pressed into your hand at a victory that made betting fun. Auron heaved a sigh, and I glanced up innocently.

"You two are as bad as Jecht," he said with a shake of his head, and I smiled.

"And I'm sure you weren't betting everything you had when you were playing Poker before the dance," I retaliated, elbowing him. He raised an eyebrow, peering down at me.

"The money wouldn't have gone anywhere."

"I _knew _it."

Auron allowed himself a small smirk, and I followed him and the rest of the group into the inn and down the hall, where we each divided up in our separate groups-usually three or four to a room, depending on availability-and went straight to sleep.

I jerked awake to a sharp rapping on the doorframe of the room I shared with Rikku and Lulu, the former of which promptly snorted as she woke and snarled groggily, "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"The contest; don't you remember?" came Yuna's voice, but I heard her smile. "Wakka wanted to practice, and it starts pretty early anyway."

"It's still dark out," I observed heavily, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and rolling over to pull the curtain back-which made no difference in the amount of light in the room.

"That tends to happen when the sun goes down." Lulu, apparently, was already up and standing by Yuna, her shadow cutting across the dim shaft of light streaming in from the hallway. I rolled my eyes in the dark, swinging my bare feet out of bed as well, and joined the mage by the doorway. Rikku followed suit, stretching and padding out into the lobby to meet the others. We were among the few awake, and despite my misgivings for being woken up so early I loved the feeling I got of being awake before sunrise, and seemingly before anyone else. It was…calming.

"Everybody up?" Wakka asked in a low voice, reclining on a plush armchair near the window.

"Mm-hmm. What are you sitting around for?" Lulu inquired with a slight raise of her eyebrows. "I was under the impression you wanted to get some practice in before the competition." The blitzer, of course, didn't have the grace to look even the slightest bit sheepish, and instead chuckled and got to his feet to stretch.

"Are we ready, then?" Yuna asked softly, the corners of her mouth curving upward as Lulu rolled her eyes and turned away, but none of us missed the small smile on her face.

"Think so." Tidus walked in through the front door, and glanced back out the window at the first tendrils of light seeping over the horizon. "But if we want to get any practice, we should probably head out now."

"All right."

"By the way, Aey, you gonna practice with the Aurochs?" Tidus turned around, ruffling his hair as he glanced at me, and I pretended to look shocked.

"And give away all of the Goers' super secret practice maneuvers? I don't think so!"

He laughed. "So you're going to practice with Graav, then?"

"Probably." I nodded, and then smiled coyly. "But I'll probably watch you all for a little while, just to get a feel for your techniques and figure out _your _secrets."

"Cheater," Wakka chuckled, and then nodded at Yuna. "Ready to go, then?"

"I think so." She led the way out to the street and across the bridge to the sphere pool, settling onto the bleachers with all of her guardians but Wakka and Tidus, who both greeted the Aurochs waiting on the other side of the stadium and then disappeared into the changing rooms. I took my seat onto the cold bleachers next to Auron, who glanced sideways at me and took a moment to speak.

"I take it you aren't planning on practicing at all, then?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"Actually, I'm kind of tired. Besides, Graav might try and kill me if he found out that I'd practiced with another team." I smiled, leaning back a little and resting my back against the frigid metal. "I'm arrogant enough to think that I don't need to practice to win the competition, anyway, so it probably wouldn't make much of a difference." I heard Auron laugh once, though it was more of a "hmph," and I shifted a little and watched as the Aurochs filtered out of the locker rooms and dove into the sphere pool.

An hour later, I found that I had spent more time nodding off with the pale glow of the rising sun on my face than actually watching the game, and I shook my head to clear it and stood to meet Wakka and Tidus as they rejoined the party. Auron gave a slight smile, saying, "You weren't making an excuse when you said you were tired," he observed lightly, and I shrugged and swallowed a yawn.

"Mm-hmm." The warmth from the sunlight was what had put me to sleep, and I hoped the same wouldn't happen in the sphere pool. Any concept of friendly competition tended to go out the window when the tournaments started, which was-in reality-probably a good thing. If I had been worried about hurting any of the Aurochs, I might have ended up apologizing and handing them a Band-Aid every time I nearly broke someone's fingers wrenching the blitzball from them. If I were tired and half-asleep as I played, I wasn't willing to bet that there would be any forgiveness.

"Ready to go?" Yuna walked up, her eyes reflecting the sunlight behind us, and Auron nodded.

"Except for Sleepy, here," he murmured in an amused tone, brushing my shoulder with his fingertips. I nearly choked on a laugh, yawning and holding down a blush at the contact at the same time, and stretched as I stood to join Auron.

"Like Snow White," I muttered blearily through the yawn. "Or Sleeping Beauty. Or a cross between both. Or…something."

"Snow White?" Auron didn't speak until we had begun to walk back to the hotel, both to change and get a pep talk from Wakka on the tournament, and I turned to him in mock surprise.

"You don't know Snow White?" I asked, eyes comically wide.

"Why would I?" he inquired skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, she's only the coolest summoner ever, so it's not like you would know her or anything. It's an old fairy tale. You know…the seven Hypello named Sneezy, Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, and Grumpy?" He shook his head, and I sighed. "I'll need to educate you, then. I guess you don't know Sleeping Beauty, either?" Again Auron shook his head, and I shrugged. "Okay. You're hopeless. Did you not grow up knowing the most kick-butt summoners of fairy-tale land?"

"I'm afraid not. I take it I had a deprived childhood, then?" he inquired, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. I heaved a dramatic sigh, nodding.

"You have _no_ idea."

"Then by all means, enlighten me." There was no sarcasm in his tone, only a little teasing, and I nodded.

"So there's this girl, named-of course-Snow White. Her stepmother is a High Summoner, having defeated Sin years before, and she's protective of her beauty and power over her aeons. So each day she asks Bahamut, 'Aeon, aeon, hear my call; who is fairest of them all?' And almost every time she asks this Bahamut answers, 'You are the fairest of them all.' But as Snow White grew, Bahamut answered, 'Famed is thy beauty, Lady. But behold, a lovely summoner I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee.' So the wicked High Summoner commands Bahamut to tell her who, and he answers her stepdaughter." I paused, hiding my surprise at how raptly and suddenly Auron was paying attention. To anyone else, it would have seemed as though he was no different: staring ahead, deep in thought, but I saw his eyes flick to me and back, and at my hesitancy he raised an eyebrow and gestured for me to go on.

I cleared my throat, shrugging as we entered the inn, and walked down the hall, still chattering. "The High Summoner is furious, and sends Valefor to kill her stepdaughter so that she would again be the fairest. But Valefor wouldn't, and instead goes to Snow White to tell her to run as far away as she can to get away from the High Summoner. She does, and as she's running stumbles across a hut with seven Hypello living inside by the names of Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy, Dopey, and Grumpy." Still talking, I entered my room, Auron following at my gesture with a gentleman's shame at being invited inside a bedroom not his own, and I disappeared into the showers to change. "So then," I called through the curtain, pulling my shirt over my head, "She finds how messy their little cottage is and decides to clean it, thinking that they'll let her stay if she does. After some argument when they finally get home from mining in Macalania, they decide to adopt her, in a way, and so she starts to cook for them and make them wash their hands before meals and such. With me so far?"

"Mm."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Yes."

"Aww, c'mon!" I whined, chucking my shirt at him over the shower curtain. "You need to give me more than _that. _What's happening so far?" Auron's lips twitched in a small smile, and he answered easily, "Snow White is now running from her stepmother, the High Summoner who wants to be the fairest and most powerful in the land, and has ordered Valefor to kill her stepdaughter. Valefor tells her to run, and she ends up in a Hypello cottage."

"Good. Shall I continue?"

"Please do."

"Okay. So-" I was interrupted, though, by Tidus rapping loudly on the door.

"Hey, you both in there?" he asked through the wood.

"Yeah!" I called back, pulling my goggles over my head so they rested like a necklace in the hollow of my neck.

"Well, you better get out here before Wakka explodes."

"I'm not even on his team!" I crossed the room and opened the door, Auron close behind and looking somehow the slightest bit embarrassed. I spared him a look, tilting my head to one side for a moment, before trailing behind Tidus and making our way to the lobby. Wakka jumped up.

"There you are!" he exclaimed. "We've been looking everywhere, ya?"

"Why would you be concerned about me if I'm not even an Auroch? I'm gonna be playing _against _you, remember?" I asked with a laugh, and he shrugged.

"Wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to pound a Goer, ya know." There was a spark of amusement in his eyes, but I took the challenge anyway and retaliated.

"Ohhh, right. Sure. Good luck with that."

"Better watch out, Sleeping Beauty." Obviously, he had seen me dozing in the bleachers earlier. I rolled my eyes and lightly whacked his shoulder as I walked past him, saying, "I could beat you in my sleep, anyway, so it's a moot point." The Auroch gave a chuckle, and then that sound faded away as I made my way to the sphere pool to meet Graav and the others.

"Late again, Aey!"

I heard it as soon as I entered the stadium, but that didn't keep me from being able to lift a finger against the thrown blitzball knocking into my shoulder.

"Or _you're _early," I answered Graav lightly, bending down to pick it up. "And watch the shoulder, or you'll lose your best player." That _was _the shoulder Rikku's machina had broken, anyway, though it had long healed.

"The only way we're losing our best player is if I'm struck by lightning before the game."

"Right, because I'd be too busy celebrating to play."

"Sure."

I grinned, walking up to my brother and tossing him the ball. "When's the tournament starting?"

"Twenty minutes or so. Actually, we should be in the changing rooms, but since one person was late…" I rolled my eyes, following him into the locker rooms, and adjusted my goggles until they strained against my forehead like a raised pair of sunglasses. We sat through Graav's relatively short pep-talk, and then jumped up and raced each other to the entrance to the sphere pool and burst out into the water.

Following the Goers came the Aurochs, and I waggled my eyebrows at Wakka as he swam past. He let out an underwater laugh, and paddled down to shake hands with Graav as I flipped through the water to calm down. Almost involuntarily, my eyes darted to the stands, zooming in immediately on a discerning red coat and staying there until I was shaken out of my reverie by the loud buzzer marking the start of the game.

"And they're off!" The referee's voice was easy to tune out, but Auron suddenly seemed so much larger in my peripheral vision than the blue-and-white ball that was leaving a stream of bubbles behind and now heading for me. I looked up in time, eyes widening and instinctively raising my hands to catch it. It bounced off the tips of my fingers, and I silently cursed. It looked like being tired wasn't going to be my main problem in this game.

Several unsuccessful passes (unfortunately, made by yours truly) and six shots later, the first game ended. I didn't know how to explain why I was so distracted, and so the second one began. We had won the first by a narrow point scored by Raudy while there was only ten seconds left of the game, but the Aurochs snagged a win in the second round. Then came the third-the tiebreaker. They were the only two teams playing, since the Beasts, Psyches, Fangs, and Glories were quite a distance away and thus only came for major tournaments.

On a different note, there was a winning shot in every game. Sometimes it was a narrow win, and the winning shot goes down in history. Sometimes it's one team creaming the other, and it really doesn't matter much. Sometimes there's three seconds left on the clock, teams are tied, and if a player doesn't make this shot they're doomed to obscurity and a life of being shunned because they lost a tournament for their team.

Unfortunately, the last choice was the type of shot this was going to be. Even more unfortunate, the ball somehow landed in my sleep-deprived and distracted hands, and the shot went to me.

I breathed once, twice, and then kicked out and shot forward for the goal. Six seconds left. I fought off an Auroch, still watching the tiny digital numbers. Five.

"Swim for it!" Doram called, taking out a few Aurochs on my tail.

"I _am_!" Four. I snarled to myself as the clock ticked out three, and then reared back and shot. Just as the ball slipped off my fingers, I had a fleeting image of twenty-five-year-old Auron, laughing with Jecht over a sphere of young Tidus. I didn't know where it came from, but I whipped back in surprise and sent the blitzball spinning away, missing the net by a mile. "_Dammit!_" I hissed under my breath, unable to help myself and resisting the temptation to plug my ears as the referee yelled out my mistake and how perfectly horrible it was for Spira to hear. Now I knew what it felt like when he said that the Aurochs were a "statistical impossibility." Well…not anymore, thanks to my skills (or lack thereof). Actually, they had won their fair share of games, but that was ten years ago. Though since Tidus joined the team, I had witnessed their improvement on a number of levels.

I floated, unsure of whether I was furious or now-depressed, as Wakka and Graav shook hands again, and then wheeled and paddled back toward the changing rooms. As I was toweling off, wringing out my hair and clothes, my lovely brother walked in with a loud, "What in the name of Yevon was _that_?"

"A failed shot," I sighed, sadness having won out over anger. "So don't lecture me about it; I'm tired."

"I'll say," Graav muttered, shooting looks at me over his shoulder as he whipped a towel around his neck and seemed to contemplated strangling himself with it. The rest of the team filtered in, and Doram walked over and plopped onto the bench next to me.

"Happens to everyone," she said lightly, wringing her braided hair out.

"Sure," I answered glumly, glancing at Raudy and Abus both giving me somehow disappointed glares. Ten or so minutes passed of general chatter and discussion of the game, and finally I said, "All right, I suppose I'm out." I exhaled and stood, stuffing my towel and goggles into my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.

"So soon?" Balgerda's small voice came from behind a curtain in one of the changing rooms, and I shrugged.

"Yeah. See you soon."

Doram pulled me into a one-armed hug, and I smiled a little before nodding to everyone else. It _was _a little…sad, how pitiful and morose I got when we lost, especially if it was my shot that lost it for us. I guessed it came from being so competitive with Graav when we were younger.

"Nice play, ya?" Wakka said, clapping me on the shoulder as I met the summoner's party in the rapidly emptying stands. He had a medal thumping against his chest, presumably from winning, and a trophy in the other hand. They had certainly been awarded quite quickly.

"If you want to see it that way," I answered with a shrug, straight-faced. He chuckled as Tidus gave me the same congratulations, and then I hung back, slightly behind the group, as we all walked back to the inn to change. Wakka, however, was stopped by Bobba, racing down the perch reserved for the ref.

"You seem to have forgotten something, at the ceremony," he panted, handing the blitzball player a yellowed sheet of paper, burned at the edges and stamped with a few words in the same lettering as Yuna's sigil. My eyes widened, and the blitzer snatched the paper from Bobba and nodded at him, turning quickly away and taking the World Champion warily from his bag. It was suddenly washed scarlet, and as soon as the light faded the paper crumpled and dissolved into ashes.

"We've got it," Yuna whispered after a moment of stunned silence. "The sigil!"

"Yeah!" Rikku cheered suddenly. "Whoo hoo! We got it, we got it!" She burst into a singsong voice, chanting, "We got it, we got it, we got it!" and Yuna chuckled.

"Right, then." Her voice cut across her cousin's, who stopped singing to listen. "Back to Brother we go."

**x.X.x**

**Heh. Snow White, specially adapted and modified to fit Final Fantasy X-NOW IN FULL COLOR!**

**Lololololol -shot-**

**Am I being lazy? HECK YES.**

**Do I know that I should work harder on my plot and not let this story fizzle off when we've come this far? Yeah...**

**Is it amazing anyway or is it sucking? That's what the little review button is for XDDDD  
**


	38. Mushin

**HEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! MR. LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!**

**Me: HOLY SHIZNITS HE'S ALMOST AS BAD AS NAVI! *cowers***

**...**

**Well, wasn't that a dramatic entrance? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll apologize and wonder-out-loud if any of you have forgotten about this XDDD**

**Reader list! Here ya go (review and tell me if I missed you):**

**Fayre Eternity, Hiddenlotuselee, (both new! Welcome them to the family, errbody! XD I know there are moar...I just can't find them ^^;) Queen of Obscene, HorseKid109, Pitch Hart,**** Yume97****, ****Natlii-x****,** **Boredom Queen of Insanity, ****toucanmel94, ****Claudia Kent, ****AkaiKurai**, **Persephone89, Yuni30, ****Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, and Auron's Moira!**

***drools* I luffles mah readers. *ninja glomp***

**Disclaimer: *is a broken record* I'M SORREH FOR THE STUPID DELAY BUT HOPEFULLY THINGS WILL BE FASTER! (heheh...lololololno.)**

**x.X.x  
**

As she had said she would, the summoner took the lead and set a brisk pace back to the airship, waving at Cid and Brother.

"Got it?" her uncle asked in a booming voice, and Yuna nodded.

"Got it!" she called, climbing the rope ladder that had just unraveled to the ground. Yuna was closely followed by her guardians, and as soon as everyone was standing with Rikku's father he turned and began to lift the _Fahrenheit _into the air.

"So, where to now?" Rikku chirped. "We've still gotta get Lulu and Auron's weapons, right?"

"Right," Yuna agreed. "Brother?"

"Lulu next," he declared, nodding. Rikku grinned.

"Aw, are we leaving Auron out?" she asked, looking as though she would be quite pleased if they did and eyeing him mischievously. The guardian gave a small sigh, closing his good eye and addressing the Al Bhed girl.

"Why don't you ask Brother?" he inquired, shifting his gaze to Cid's son, who shook his head.

"Not leaving Auron out," he said sternly. "Rikku is rude."

"I'm not _rude_," she objected stubbornly. "It's _him _that's so mean." She huffed and turned away, and, bad mood forgotten, I raised my eyebrows.

"What in Spira did you _do_?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth, and Auron gave a deep chuckle.

"You're asking the wrong person," he answered wryly. "I don't have any idea."

"Oh, very nice."

"Mm." The airship gave a small jolt, and then-apparently at Brother's command-flew seemingly back toward Baaj Temple, the home of Anima.

"So are we getting the weapon first?" I asked, walking up next to Brother. He crossed his arms and nodded.

"Weapon, crest, sigil."

"Sounds like a plan."

I wandered around for a few more minutes, debating on whether or not I should stop to talk to Rikku about what _exactly _Auron had done-I assumed in the Calm Lands, when we were capturing fiends in groups-to make her so bitter. I almost did, and in fact had taken a step back toward her, when Cid called, "Everyone, it's out into the water with ya!"

"Whoo hoo!" Rikku cheered, tearing off to the entrance and not bothering to climb down the ladder, instead launching herself straight off the threshold and hitting the water with a hollow _smack. _Her father sighed and shook his head, muttering, "Gonna kill herself someday, mark my words…" and then saw off the rest of the guardians. Smiling to myself at the Al Bhed's theatrics, I slid down the rope ladder and dropped into the water, Lulu behind me and making a face as the waves lapped at the hem of her dress.

"Ready?" Yuna asked, treading water next to Tidus. The guardians nearest to her-Kimahri, Lulu, and Rikku-all nodded, and the summoner led the way back to where we had fought Geosegaeno. Only then did I notice that Brother had climbed into the water as well and was now silently swimming behind us. He spared Yuna a brief nod when she looked back at my gasp of surprise, and then began taking more powerful strokes until he was neck-and-neck with Tidus. Rikku's sibling gestured for silence, then dove under and beckoned for us to follow. It wasn't far, and clearly Brother had as much lung capacity as blitzball players, but by the time we had reached the bottom of the lake a few of the guardians were looking almost desperately back up at the surface. Brother shook his head when Lulu made to swim back up for a breath of air, and she reluctantly stopped. He turned and flipped off, into a darker cave near a bed of seaweed, and gestured. Lulu, dragged down by her sodden, thick dress, pawed through the water toward him and disappeared into the cavern.

With his encouragement, the other guardians followed Brother into the darkness, more than one of them looking rather apprehensive. I kicked off the craggy boulder I'd found a place to sit on, zipping to the cave and finding soon that it immediately bent upwards so that I wasn't so much swimming as floating up toward the surface.

I let out the air in my lungs, pushing myself out of the water and looking around. The cave-or tunnel, as I now knew-had led straight to surface level, though we were inside of a small cavern now. The water sloshed at the edges of the hole where Wakka was now emerging, and Brother was waiting in the shadows with some sort of machina, a tube that glowed like a candle at one end. It's light glinted off a gilded chest, and he gestured for Lulu to open it.

"Wait," Yuna said, halting her guardian and stepping forward to pass her the Celestial Mirror. The mage nodded, taking it and then prying open the lid of the treasure chest and plunging her hand in to withdraw a yellow-and-orange stuffed toy of some sort, in the style that Lulu's Moogle had been. On its back was strapped a small shield, and an equally sized sword in one hand, as well as a hat that almost reminded me of the top half of a jack-o-lantern. Lulu gazed at it for a moment, and then she smiled, shaking her head, and cradled the creature in the crook of one of her elbows.

Rikku edged nearer to me as Yuna was given the Onion Knight to look at, passing it to Brother in her turn.

"Lulu would make a good mom, huh?" Yuna's cousin whispered, and my eyebrows raised in surprise as I thought for a moment. "Lookit the way she's holding the Onion-Thing." When I did, I saw where Rikku was coming from. There was a way that the mage held her new "weapon," almost bent over it and pressed between her arm and her body, that spoke volumes about her protective side.

"I suppose." I was paying closer attention to her now, and almost didn't hear it when Rikku asked quietly, "D'you think I could be like her someday?" I turned to the Al Bhed in surprise.

"Why?"

"Well…I dunno…" Rikku shrugged helplessly. "She's just so serious, and everyone respects her and stuff. She's not all stuck-up, either. People like her."

"Well, why would you want to give up Rikku and be Lulu?"

"I wouldn't!" Her voice turned defensive. "I just want to change Rikku, that's all."

"If you changed Rikku, though, where would our amusement go? We'd all be trudging along without any source of entertainment. No offense to him or anything, but…" I cupped one hand around one side of my mouth, stage-whispering, "I doubt Auron would do a very good job of that. Cheerleading and all."

At this she let out a snort of laughter, distracted for a moment, and then nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Mm-hmm." I took the Onion Knight as Tidus passed it for me to get a look at, and inspected the teddy-bear-like creature before handing it to Rikku and asking, "Are we ready to go?"

"I think so," Yuna answered, head bobbing. "Now we need the sigil and crest. Brother?"

"Farplane," he said with a nod to himself. "Crest. Sigil not easy to obtain, yes?"

"All right. Lead the way."

Rikku's sibling lowered himself into the hole we had come from, everyone else close behind, and swam back to the airship. Cid let the ladder down as soon as we were in sight, and then at Brother's command turned the _Fahrenheit _towards Guadosalam.

We slipped in and out without too much event, grabbing the Venus Crest from a small chest on the edge of the Farplane, though Auron and Rikku still refused to enter. I doubted they had settled their differences yet, though, because Rikku was fuming and Auron was looking slightly exasperated when we got back out.

Next, according to Brother, was the Venus Sigil. He pointed us to the Thunder Plains with a grimly determined look, and Cid landed safely at the entrance from Guadosalam.

"Rin say to dodge lightning," Rikku's brother commanded. "Do not get hit, no matter what."

"Um…what happens if we get hit?" she asked, all but cowering behind Lulu.

"Start over. Many times."

"Can I…stay inside?" Rikku peeped, looking like a tiny, soaked kitten that's been cornered by a Behemoth.

"I think that'd be best," Yuna replied, nodding.

"Yeah, you can watch and make sure none of us die," Tidus interjected dryly, stretching. "Can we start now?"

A sigh of impatience, though I didn't have to see who it was from, and then Auron nodded. "If Yuna says we may." The summoner nodded, and as soon as she did Tidus grinned coyly and walked out of the airship. I made to follow, but stopped short at a loud clap of thunder and a flash of light, followed by a stream of cut-off curses. "Oh, sh-ff-da-ff-OW!"

"Like father like son," Auron murmured wryly, coming up out of nowhere to stand next to me. I chuckled.

"Jecht did this, too?"

"He was much worse. Thought it was the lightning's fault he was being struck, not his." The guardian paused. "Shall we go?"

"Death by electrocution. Sounds fun."

"Mm." Auron laughed once, and then led the way to Tidus's rescue. Behind us came the other guardians, and Brother nodded when everyone was tensely positioned, listening but afraid to let their attention wander for too long.

"Dodge," he commanded. "No hitting." Without any further instruction, he ran off to a separate part of the plains to, presumably, find some lightning to evade. A little of an oxymoron, but it made sense here.

No one else wanted to move too far away from the group, and for a few moments there was taut silence. Finally another clap of thunder roared, and I heard Rikku's shriek from the airship, now parked underneath one of the towers dotting the plains. It was Kimahri the lightning was aimed for, though he smoothly leapt out of the way and stood with his arms hanging limply at his sides, completely relaxed. I, on the other hand, had every muscle clenched and stood like a stretched rubber band, ready to spring if the need arose.

Another flash of electricity, a light grunt, and another bolt was avoided. Then two more, and finally I saw in my peripheral vision a silvery streak coming down for me. When I opened my eyes again, I was standing a little to the left of my original position with no memory of movement. A few seconds later, punctuated by other strikes to those near me, yet another streak flew down at me, and again I-apparently-shuffled to the right so that it missed. Now I was the slightest bit confused: had the lightning redirected itself or something?

"It's called _mushin_." As if in answer to my thoughts, Auron spoke quietly. He was standing quite near me, not even bothering to look up at the lightning. I flinched when another jagged bolt flashed down, and saw him quickly sidestep and then turn back to me. "Literally translated into 'no mind.'"

"Mushin?"

"The act of not thinking; just doing. Instinct. You should actually be familiar with it, since if you didn't use mushin when fighting you would long be dead. Your conscious mind takes over most things, except for what primitive instinct makes you do."

"So how am I using…_mushin_?"

"Dodging the lighting, of course." He evaded another bolt, and, stuck in thought about the concept of this "no mind," I didn't. The streak of energy knocked me over, and I gave a brief cry when I hit the ground.

Immediately, so quickly I wasn't sure if he hadn't been standing there all along, Auron was towering over me.

"Are you all right?" he asked with the barest hint of worry.

"Yeah…fine." I shook my head to clear it, surprised at the fuzziness that amount of electricity caused, and took the hand Auron offered to pull myself up. No sooner had I gotten my bearings than he, still standing less than a few inches away, wrapped his fingers around my shoulders and jerked out of the way of another flash of silver, now slightly hunched over me and awkwardly close.

I blinked. "Um…thanks."

"Mm." As if just now realizing that we weren't exactly alone and he was less than three inches away from me, Auron stepped back with a terse nod. I hid a smile, and sidestepped another streak of energy with this newfound mushin.

An hour later, as we started over for the eighth time, I was beginning to get the hang of this lightning-dodging thing. I had exchanged a few words, mostly with the red cloak beside me, and without letting my attention wander. Now I paused, inhaling deeply and observing his movements. He was completely relaxed, not even tensing up when he evaded a bolt. He merely sidestepped like he did this every day, and seemingly even before I was aware of the flash.

"How are you doing that?" I asked when the plains were calm. He glanced sideways, then turned to face me.

"Doing what?"

"Just"-I flinched and leapt out of the way as the ground right next to me was electrocuted-"Just be so comfortable. It's like you aren't even trying." I hopped out of the way of another bolt as Auron answered.

"Mushin. It's not as difficult if you aren't thinking about it."

"How do you-ooh, that was _close_-know that?"

"Most Warrior Monks go through a sort of…meditation period." He hesitated at the last two words, as if trying them and wondering if they would match his thoughts. "They learn about no-mindedness, how to turn your consciousness off-it's really all part of the fighting as well."

"Oh. So…you know from your training?"

"Correct." Auron glanced up, and I followed his gaze and just barely missed death by electrocution. I managed to evade it as he continued. "You know, you really don't even have to do that. Try relaxing, and don't pay attention to the lighting. Watch Rikku, perhaps."

"But-"

"That is the essence of mushin. Try it, and I'll warn you if you're about to be hit."

"…Oh, all right." I turned around, staring at the airship, and saw Rikku bustling around in the window. Making tea? I hoped it wasn't coffee-Yunalesca forbid someone with as much energy as Rikku-

I vaguely saw a streak of lightning coming down, and glanced back at the ship in time to miss the way I had moved. It happened so quickly I had no memory of it-one moment I was thinking about Rikku and coffee, the next I was turned back toward Auron.

"So _that's _mushin," I muttered, and was rewarded with a light chuckle.

"Indeed. Now try not to get hit."

"Yeah. Right. No promises."

Another laugh. He must be in a good mood today.

I started wandering, staying near the group and looping back towards Auron, traveling a figure-eight under the premise that I could dodge lightning bolts better if I was moving, distracted, and more relaxed. I was pretty much right, too. I evaded three without even realizing it, and as for the others it was much easier for mushin to-as Doram would say-do its thing.

"How many do you think we're at?" I asked when I circled back toward Auron and hovered. He thought for a moment.

"Depending on how many Brother has gotten, or if we just started over because someone else was hit that we can't see, I would say around halfway there. Rin never gave a number, however."

"Seems pretty accurate to me, since I haven't heard any yells of fury and/or frustration."

"Mm."

I began to wander off again, but heard- and felt -an earth-shaking blast of thunder directly above me, quickly followed by two more. Out of reflex I clapped both hands over my ears, grimacing, and then whipped around and glanced up just in time to see a deadly fork of lightning spider-webbing down through the sky. Paralyzed in sudden terror, for a moment I knew why Rikku couldn't stand electricity.

"Get down!"

I shifted to find the source of the sharp voice, and collided head on with Auron. Almost in slow-motion, he curled his fingers around my shoulders and knocked me flat on the ground, slowing his own momentum so that he landed in some sort of push-up position with his face inches from mine. Not a moment too soon, I saw, as the three consecutive bolts of energy from the thunderhead above us hit their target. Auron's good eye closed as one of them sent a tremor from between his shoulder blades, the other two flashing on either side of us, and then there was nothing. I let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

Of course, now came the awkward part. In his bid to save me, he was now suspended what seemed like a hairsbreadth above me (_on top of me_, I thought, somewhat guiltily), without either of us knowing if the other was petrified-be it in fear, shock, or embarrassment. Perfect. Complete with a perfectly awkward silence.

"Um…" A very intelligent word. Now what? Thank you? Get off me before Lulu's Moogle strangles you? Are you all right? Hi? Or should I lay there and be terminally tongue-tied?

"Ah…" Well, slightly more intelligent-sounding than "Um," but this was still Auron we were talking about. I half-expected him to go into a string of explanations and apologies and a scolding to gravity. Instead, he pushed himself up and stepped away, hesitating for a moment before offering his hand. I was half-standing, but I took it anyway, then let go and ran my fingers through my hair to hide my blush.

"Yeah…" Ah, and this won for most intelligent word of the day. Yeah.

"Shall we continue?"

"Ye-eah…" All right, Aey, give it up. You are officially an idiot.

**x.X.x**

**WELL? HUH! (lolzers, just kidding. I won't be THAT demanding)**

**But there ya go. Some serious AuronAey action, here. XD (Wif' some humor, because without it that would just be too awkward. See above.)  
**

**Srs bznz, the Thunder Plains be. **

**Awww, such a short chapter. Yeah. I fail.  
**

**Thanks!  
**


	39. Nothing There

**I think I might have broken a record: fastest chapter ever under extreme cases of terminal writer's block. (DOOD WE'RE AT CHAPTER 39 ALREADY!)  
**

**Yeah. Something like that. Should be in the Guinness Book of World Records :D**

**Thanks to the usual writers, I'm really sorry about the pitiful length, and here we gooooooo!**

**Disclaimer: I mean it. Things'll be faster after this. I promise. (yeah, right)**

**x.X.x  
**

I didn't even want to think about how long it took, but eventually Rin came sprinting up with a huge smile on his face.

"You have done it!" he exclaimed, beaming. "You have successfully dodged all of the lightning bolts! Very, very good job!"

"Really?" I asked, stopping and wiping the sweat off my brow with my sleeve. "We did it?"

"You have done it!" he repeated, and then raced off to tell the others. Apparently, this didn't happen often. The Al Bhed's echoing cries could be heard all over the plains, and I grinned, looking at Auron.

"We did it!"

"I surmised that, actually." He smiled, one of his rare genuine smiles, and offered his arm. "Shall we head back to claim our prize?"

"You're in a good mood, aren't you?" I asked, taking it.

"Sensational."

"Mm." When I used his word, he raised an eyebrow and mimicked me.

"Mm."

"_Mm_."

"Mm-hmm."

"Mmm-hmmmm."

"All right, you win."

I was pretty sure I had never giggled before, but this was one of those Rikku-giggle moments. Needless to say, under any other circumstances, I might have been horrified with myself.

We reached the inn stationed in the middle of the Thunder Plains and ringed with towers to keep lightning from striking the inn itself, and right outside the door was a small chest very similar to the others I had seen with crests and sigils inside. Auron and I were the first there, having been nearest to it, but the other guardians were on our heels. Brother took a little longer, but as soon as he had come Yuna handed Lulu the Celestial Mirror and gestured to the chest.

The mage stepped forward and knelt down, Onion Knight tucked in the crook of her elbow, and wrenched open the rusty lid to pull out a slip of paper, aged and torn.

"Do we need to take these back to Usse?" she asked Yuna, and the summoner thought for a moment.

"I think we should. This looks a little…complicated."

"All right. Back to the airship, then." Lulu straightened, making sure her new toy was nestled safely between her arm and body, shielding it from lightning, and followed Yuna with a hint of excitement in her expression as the summoner zigzagged between the many spires around the plains, taking shelter beneath them when she could.

"Didja get it?" Rikku burst out, meeting us just inside the doorway.

"Yep." Tidus nodded toward the paper still in Lulu's fingers, and Rikku beamed.

"Awesome! So…we read them now?"

"I think we may have to take them back to Usse…"

"Oh, nonsense! I can read that!" The Al Bhed grabbed the Venus Sigil, holding out her hand for the Crest, and then stumbled slowly through the translation of both. She peered at the Onion Knight when it didn't react, then tried again. "Oh-neh…suu-ka…mo-shyn." She looked up, and then blew her lips out in a raspberry and halfheartedly waved the pieces of parchment in front of the legendary weapon.

They quickly burst into flame, blackening and curling, and Rikku gave a small shriek and dropped them as the Onion Knight's button eyes flashed.

"Um…tada…?" she said tentatively, and Yuna chuckled.

"All right. Then…that problem is solved. Still, though, we have to go back to Usse for Sir Auron's weapon."

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rikku bounced back to the controls with her usual energy, yelling, "Floor it, pops!" Cid's sigh was audible from the bridge, and as the doors slid closed I felt the ship pitch forward.

The Thunder Plains messed with my sense of day and night, and so I was surprised when the _Fahrenheit _was flying toward the sunset. Cid took a turn, and the Calm Lands grew closer.

"So what weapon are we getting next?" I asked Auron, and he took a moment to answer.

"I believe it would be mine. Brother only knew where three of them were, and…" He trailed off, and I looked up in surprise. It wasn't like Auron to leave a sentence hanging in midair. The guardian's brow was creased, which was normal, but he strode away from me and said quietly, "Cid, stop." His voice carried easily, and Rikku's father turned, still blindly working the controls. Auron walked up to him, a strange expression on his face, and murmured something unintelligible.

The airship alighted on the ground a ways from where Cid normally landed, and Auron made his way back through the silent cabin to me.

"What is it?" I asked, and he looked down with the same expression-what looked to me like a tangle of frustration, indecisiveness, and concern, saying nothing for a moment.

"Stay inside," he finally got out, brushing his fingers across my shoulders if only for the brief contact, and then turned and met Cid and Brother outside.

"Auron-!" I cut off, watching in curiosity and resisting the impulse to slide down the ladder and follow him. He stopped for a moment to exchange a few words and then, all business, rounded the shadowy corner to where Usse's corral stood.

"Any idea what's going on?" Rikku asked, and I jumped, not realizing that she'd come up beside me.

"None," I answered. "Auron said to stay, but…"

"Maybe you should go. I mean, it's not like he can be mad at you or anything, and we do need his weapon…"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Anyway, why could he have wanted you to stay, and what is Vydran doing out there with Brother, anyway? We're supposed to be getting Masamune, you know."

I nodded, torn but understanding Rikku's logic. I was curious as well. So I slipped down the ladder, stopping next to Cid and Brother. The youngest guardian's father gave me a look, but shook his head and gestured for me to go on. Intrigue at its peak, I quietly rounded the jagged outcropping that hid Usse from us when we landed, and came across a rare sight.

Auron was kneeling, head bent, fingertips resting lightly on someone's chest, directly over their heart. I couldn't see the person's face, but I had a horrid feeling of who it would be. I stared for a moment, taking a few steps forward and praying I was wrong. At the same moment, he opened his eyes and stood up, as if knowing all along I was standing there. I kept walking forward, though, until I saw Usse's face. His eyes were blank, staring up at the clouds as if blind, and darkened blood had dried in his robes. There was too much of it, too much for me to take in and still subconsciously lie that he lived. More than I had ever had any reason to believe was in a person's body, because I had never seen so much blood. I had no memory of a face so slack, or a torso so deflated. I had never seen a jagged hole of that size, guardian or not, or broken ribs peeking out of the skin. He was dead. More than that, he'd been murdered.

I reached Auron, then, and nearly collided with him. The guardian took my shoulders as if this wasn't the first time he'd had to do this, stepping forward to block Usse from my field of vision.

"Stop looking," he said impassively, obstructing my view again when I tried to glance around him, eyes wide in horror. "There is nothing there." I tried to gather my thoughts, thinking of how foolish I must look, gawking.

"You think I've never seen death before?" I asked finally, but my voice shook.

"Yes. Listen, Aey." I glanced up, and he said it again. "_There is nothing there._"

"But-" Auron interrupted me.

"Nothing. Nothing happened; there is nothing there."

Even as he said it again, though, I caught another glimpse, and now I saw more than just the body. The scarlet droplets flung across the door and rocks behind Auron, and the pool beneath Usse-too deep, too much. I hated to think of the blood seeping into the dirt beneath him, there forever. He would never be gone.

"Aey…nothing."

"But, Auron…" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Look at me." His tone was so sharp, I tore my gaze away and looked up into his good eye. "There isn't anything there. It's not real."

What did he mean? Of course there was something there. Someone had been killed there, for Yevon's sake.

Even as I thought this, though, something in me began to doubt it. Auron was saying that there was nothing there. He said he saw nothing. And what I saw wasn't real. Which meant it didn't matter, that _I _saw nothing, and that nothing was really there. Nothing. Not real.

He must have seen something click, because the guardian nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, half-steering me back to the airship as I regained the ability to think properly. He dipped his head at Cid, and I caught only a few murmured words. "To Sin."

Auron was the first inside the airship, helping me silently up the ladder, and behind him came Cid and Brother.

"We won't be getting Auron's weapon," the eldest Al Bhed said with a trace of weariness.

"Yippee!" Rikku jumped up, grinning, until she caught our expressions. "Wait…why not?"

"We can't." From Cid's tone, that was all he was going to say to his daughter, but gestured to Yuna and pulled her deeper into the airship. Confused, she followed, and I looked out at the now-dark sky.

"I'm sorry."

I jumped, turning around to see Auron having walked up quietly behind me.

"For what?" My own voice was more empty than I would have liked, and he let out a breath.

"I forgot…what it was like. Seeing it for the first time myself, and then watching the amateurs and younger Warrior Monks go through it themselves and knowing it was my job to pull them through. All we ever did was tell them it didn't matter, tell them that it wasn't real."

I knew he was talking about Usse, and death. More than death-seeing murder. Now I knew how he could be so distant, and how all of them were. They could watch someone die because they were convinced it didn't matter, that it wasn't happening.

"Oh."

It wasn't much of a response, but he knew I had heard him. We said nothing, until Cid and Yuna returned, Rikku's father going to the controls and quietly pushing the ship towards where we usually camped in the Calm Lands. I followed Auron out and to the grove of trees, lost in thought, and found myself perched on the crest of a hill next to him. I was neglecting my usual duties of setting up the camp, but I hardly noticed. Neither of us spoke for a long time, waiting until the heat of the fire was barely brushing our backs, and finally Auron murmured, "I never heard the end of Snow White."

"The High Summoner finds that she's still alive, and disguises herself to give Snow White a poisoned apple to kill her," I answered in a hollow voice, shifting. "She dies." I felt Auron tense in surprise, but that was the only indication that he wasn't expecting that.

"And this is a children's story?" the guardian asked, and I nodded without looking at him.

"In the children's version, she only falls asleep, and a guardian passes through the forest and falls in love, then kisses her to wake her up. They get married and live happily ever after."

"'Happily ever after?'" He said the words as if they were strange, not rolling off his tongue like they did mine. I felt a spark of surprise, yanking my thoughts away from Usse.

"Yeah. It's…how they end every fairytale. Like starting it with 'Once Upon a Time.' Every fairytale ends with 'And They Lived Happily Ever After.'"

"What if they don't?"

"Huh?"

Auron seemed to be deep in thought, not letting my own mind wander back to death. "What if they don't live happily ever after?"

"Well…they always do."

"Not in life."

"In fairytales."

"Then what is the point of a fairytale other than to tell a child that everything will be all right in the end? What happens when it isn't?"

"Would you rather tell them that there's no hope? It's just a story, a story with a moral, like 'don't be jealous.' It makes you feel better when there's some kind of happiness somewhere." I kept my voice from rising, at the same time confused as to why it would have any reason to rise in the first place. Was I angry? I didn't think so.

Auron said nothing, finally nodding as if to himself. "I suppose." I didn't answer, but after a few moments had to ask.

"Are we going to Sin, then?"

The guardian looked at me for a long moment, good eye never leaving my face.

"There is nothing left to do."

**x.X.x**

**So is our favorite guardian right, dear readers? Is there nothing left to do?**

**Speak now or forever hold your peace. Do you want to see more action before Sin? Romance? Kissing? Ninja frog-llama hybrid attacks? Death? If I'm not forgetting anything, the next chapter will begin the end of our journey. And it shall be epic.**

**Poor Usse. And I kind of liked him, too. (Who do you think did it, since Aey was a little too preoccupied with the fact that he was dead? Guado? SEYMOUR? *coughcough* Hm? I want to hear guesses, here X3)**

**Thanks very much! 8D**

**P.S. What are you all being for Halloween, out of curiosity?  
**


	40. Sin: The Beginning

**HA! WHAT DID I TELL YOU! I PROMISED FASTER UPDATES, DID I NOT? HUH!**

**Never mind the short-ness. It's vertically challenged XDDDDD**

**I'MMA GENIUS! 8D**

**Oh, and I beat Portal. Soooo disturbing...never try and enter a room full of turrets (or fight GLaDOS, for that matter) right before you go to bed. Just trust me on this one. It's like watching the Unborn and Aliens rolled into one.**

**Thanks to the usual readers, and I hope you don't mind the general meh-ness of the chapter XD**

**Disclaimer: I think we're getting somewhere! I have motivation to finish now, anyway.**

**x.X.x  
**

I got up the next morning to a conference in the cabin, and I walked out and joined them, Rikku close behind. Yuna was standing at the head of a circle made by her guardians, and I caught the last of her words as we walked up.

"…was killed," she said, and a collective gasp came from all but Kimahri, Auron, and me.

"Who?"

"Why?"

"When?"

"_Why?_"

Yuna was hit with a wave of questions until Tidus made himself heard.

"All of you, shut up!" he yelled, and then they were still. He turned to his summoner. "Yuna, go."

"O-okay," she said hesitantly, and then continued. "We don't know who did it, or when, or why. All we know is that he was the key to getting Sir Auron's weapon, and now he is dead. So, really, there is nothing left to do." Yuna took a breath. "We have put this off long enough, and now Usse is dead because of it. We must fight Sin."

Rather than a barrage of objections again, she was met with shocked silence. A few moments passed, and then Kimahri spoke.

"Then we leave today."

Cid powered up the ship with a solemn nod, humming the Hymn of the Fayth to himself as he silently steered it to hover over Bevelle. He was about to turn the song on with a murmured, "I wonder if that acolyte remembered to tell everyone…" when Wakka walked up.

"There's…something I want to say before the fight," he said slowly, and Rikku's father turned in surprise. I didn't remember anywhere else that Wakka had spoken directly to him.

"Well?" Cid asked, not unkindly, when the blitzball player didn't continue. "You gonna spit it out?"

"I guess I didn't know anything about the Al Bhed. Didn't know anything. Didn't want to listen to anything. I was a big jerk." It seemed to come out in a rush, and Wakka inhaled slowly before starting again. "So, I…well, uh…" He sighed and turned to directly face Cid. "I'm sorry, ya? Please forgive me."

For a few moments, the Al Bhed only stared. He didn't look surprised, but he certainly hadn't been expecting an apology. Finally, he nodded.

"Don't let it bother you." A smile tweaked the corners of his mouth, crinkles around his eyes. "Hey, I'm guilty of hating those durn Yevonites myself!" Wakka reeled in surprise as Cid clapped him on the shoulder. "There's a lot of folk in this world-some of 'em good, some of 'em bad. That's all there is to it." He smiled again, but this time it wasn't as cheerful, and turned back to the controls with a little bit of forced enthusiasm. "All right, everyone, it's Sin time!" The ship jerked forward. "Yeee-haw, here we go!"

I held my breath, listening as the notes of the Hymn of the Fayth swelled in the air above Bevelle. I heard no one else breathing, either, as we all wondered the same thing: would the people of Spira actually remember to sing with the ship in the sky Shelinda told them about?

Our prayers were answered as dozens of voices began to rise with the same song, first as one person remembered and then as he reminded the ones around him.

"Yes," I murmured, smiling as my breath was let out in a puff at the same time as Rikku's.

"Right, then, got you covered!" Cid said over the din. Yuna nodded at him, and then whipped around as Brother suddenly yelled, "Sin!"

I turned with her, and saw the stony mass that haunted the dreams of Spirans everywhere I had ever been, just floating there. Watching us.

"All right!" Tidus said gleefully, but there was something in his voice: a hitch, or some sort of catch I had never heard. "We're goin' in!"

"How are we gonna get inside?" Wakka inquired, walking up beside him.

"The easy way! How else?"

Rikku sighed next to me. "Figures."

"Well?" Now Lulu spoke, a small smile on her face. "Let's go!" I followed her as she led the charge onto the deck of the ship where we had fought Evrae so long ago, looking back once as Tidus stopped to instruct Cid on how to get inside of Sin. He laughed.

"Now that's what I call a plan! We'll give that thing a new blowhole: all you gotta do is jump!"

"Roger!" Tidus answered, grinning.

"Do your worst, kiddo!"

The blitzer joined us on the deck, just as Rikku yelled, "I can hear the Hymn!"

"They listened to us!" Wakka agreed, punching the air.

"We won't let them down." The prospect of battle seemed to have instilled a new vigor in Tidus, and he turned to Yuna. "Yuna?"

"Hmm?" she tore her gaze away from Sin, and gasped as he withdrew a small blue sphere from his pockets, a her face going pink.

"You won't need this anymore, right?" he asked. She hesitated, and then smiled slowly and shook her head. He gleefully chucked it overboard.

A moment passed, and then the ship trembled beneath us. Wakka was the first to catch it, looking up with a, "Hey, guys? That's not good, ya?" I glanced up, mouth opening in horror, at the ebony balls of energy growing in Sin's mouth, visible even from here.

"Get down!" I didn't know who said it, but I dropped to the ground as five lethal orbs cut through the air a hairsbreadth above us. One grazed the airship, and it pitched and rolled as we all scrabbled for something to hang on to.

When the dust cleared and I had my bearings, I stood up. Cid's voice rang out as everyone else did the same.

"Hey, I saw something shine at the base of Sin's arm!" he exclaimed. "I reckon it's a weak spot!" I grinned, until a flurry of Al Bhed from Brother to his father came on as well. Automatically, I glanced at Rikku and Auron for translation. She said nothing but, "Sin's pulling us in!"

"Everyone, back inside!" Cid bellowed, and I turned to see the beast gliding at the exact same speed as us, only a few dozen yards away.

"Duu myda!" Brother answered, a hint of panic in his voice. "Ed lusac!" I stopped backing up, instead pulling on my gloves and hefting a throwing knife in one hand, praying to Yevon my skills had somehow magically improved.

"Ready?" Lulu murmured at my side, and I turned to give her a nod.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Any idea what to expect?"

"None. Be careful, and expect everything."

"Mm." I caught her sideways glance, and then she lifted her arms to cast DoubleCast, Focus, and Reflex. I nodded my thanks, and heard Rikku yell, "Pops, bring the ship back!"

"Roger!" he answered, as Yuna began madly working her staff to cast the right supportive magic, Tidus doing the same with Hastega. Auron was busy deciding who he would protect, and the rest of us were watching Sin carefully.

When they finished, Tidus gave the command to reel the _Fahrenheit _back in, and I took a deep breath. This was it.

For a moment there was silence, and then Tidus jumped forward and sunk Brotherhood into the glowing circle Cid had seen. There was a rumbling, and then everyone attacked at once. Yuna stayed with protective magic, not daring to summon her aeons, and the rest of us fought as usual. I flicked the knife forward, muttering a curse when my skills betrayed me again and I just missed the center of its weak point. Lulu absently returned it, and now I switched to the weapon I was more comfortable with-my gloves and curved dagger-to target the shimmering orb that was partially hidden by the chestnut strands blowing to the left of the fin.

Just after I skipped out of the way, though, a burst of power flew from the globe of light, heading for Rikku. The Al Bhed squealed and cringed, putting her guard up as a reflex, but it turned out she didn't have to. Auron was already there, raising his sword to block the attack and blinking when it hit-the only sign he showed of flinching. He quickly ran back to where he'd been before, leaving her dumbfounded and staring blankly in his direction. She was jerked back to reality when Yuna called softly, "Rikku, pay attention!"

"S-sure thing, Yunie!" Yuna's cousin shook herself, and focused back on the battle as Auron raced forward again to drive his sword into the fin, aided by Hastega. I recognized the sparkling colors of Armor Break, and a few more tries later, Sin rumbled again.

"Yuna, summon Valefor to finish it off!" he commanded, ducking out of the way of another energy blast. "Now!"

She nodded, twirling her staff, and glanced up at a speck of light in the sky. The dragon flew down a second later, already shooting a bright, concentrated beam of light at the shining sphere, and it was no more. Yuna's eyes widened when it shattered, and gave her aeon a light pat before dismissing her and glancing back at Cid. The airship flew past Sin, and Rikku's father's voice boomed out, "Here we go! Everyone, hold on to something!" I scrabbled for a handhold in the smooth surface, well aware that when Cid said "hold on to something," he meant _hold on to something. _This was business.

There was a pause, and then he spoke again. "All right! Here goes!" I glanced down, able to see the tips of two cone-shaped tunnels peeking out from underneath the _Fahrenheit_, and gasped when a larger version of Valefor's attack shot forward and cleaved through Sin's fin, shearing it right off the body.

"Dear Yevon…" I whispered, hearing Tidus whoop and yell, "Got it!"

"Couldn't have done it without you!" Cid sounded just as pleased. "Now, everyone look sharp! Time to hit the other side!"

"Easy for you to say!" Like me, Rikku looked shocked, and now stood up indignantly as if she were being cheated. The airship flew in a wide arc until we were hovering at the base of the other fin, Tidus and Yuna re-casting their protective magic. Auron paused, as the airship was out of range, and walked over to murmur something to Yuna. She nodded, and-though I only heard the words "aeon" and "overdrive"-I had a fairly good guess what he had told her. Again, as Cid pulled the ship in, the summoner called Valefor, letting her block the fin's attacks while the rest of the guardians chipped away at it. Finally, she was bursting with anger, and that was when Yuna dismissed the aeon with an apologetic smile. Now she sent for Ifrit, letting him attack a number of times while we attacked as normal, and he could almost do his overdrive when the crystal orb shattered. Really, the fin hadn't stood a chance. It was a nice boost of self-esteem, but I had heard enough times that overconfidence kills.

Cid gave the command to "hold on" again, and I tucked my face into the crook of my arm to shield it from the flying debris that shot into the air like bullets. The cannons shuddered and gave a shot of energy, slashing Sin's other fin clean off and met with Tidus's cheers.

"Yeehaw!" Cid called, and I heard the grin in his voice. "Where to next?"

Brother came on over the speaker, only a faint murmur in the background. "Ed ec ujan."

Cid's confusion was now evident as he replied, "Fryd? Fa ryja uhmo pakih!" I looked over for translation, and saw Rikku's smile fading and Auron's face darkening.

"Pid dra syeh kih, ed ec pnugah!" Brother sounded slightly panicked.

"Dr-dryd lyhhud pa!" His father's tone matched his.

I glanced over at Rikku, eyebrows raising for an explanation, and she wailed, "The main gun's busted!" Cid sighed, a burst of static.

"Dang it! All right, back inside. Time for another plan!"

I began to follow Lulu back inside, but Tidus objected with a loud, "No!" He stepped forward. "We're going in! Every blitzer knows: when you've got the ball, you've gotta score!" He looked at Wakka, who grinned.

"That's right, ya!" He, in turn, shifted his gaze to Yuna, who beamed.

"Let's go!" She turned and jumped right off the side, and Tidus followed with a laugh. Rikku shrugged, and then sprinted toward the edge and did a cannonball right into the clouds, followed by the rest of us in some resigned, uneventful falling. I landed with a light grunt on Sin's skin, grimacing as my knees absorbed the shock and the balls of my feet slammed into the rough hide, and looked up.

I was staring down a tentacle-covered, scaly worm-like creature with some sort of shell-armor and three appendages protruding from its back, hissing and spitting at each one of us.

After a glance at Auron, who nodded, Yuna summoned Ifrit and let him top off his overdrive before withdrawing with a nod of apology. She cast some protective magic, and then it was Ixion's turn. The lightning that struck around it forced us to move and be limited to only long-range attacks, and so Yuna stuck to white magic and Ixion's attacks. He was near overdrive when she, as always, dismissed him, and then the guardians ran back into range.

Lulu raised her arms, shooting a DoubleCast and then two Flares, not knowing what element to use, and returning my dagger for me when I threw it. Tidus and Auron both hurtled forward at the same time, each going for different sides, and then Auron sprinted back to block the attack that had been aiming for Yuna. He drew the Sinspawn's attention to him, parrying and countering its attacks while Lulu, Tidus, Kimahri, Wakka, Rikku and I beat it up from behind.

Quick as a flash, the creature whipped around, managing to get one of its appendages cleaved off by a certain katana as it pivoted to face us. Now Auron was attacking from behind and we were the ones punching, kicking, throwing blitzballs, stabbing swords and lances, shooting magic, and throwing knives to keep its focus with us and give Auron time to hack away.

"Yuna, another aeon!" he called, and she nodded to call Shiva. Ice crystals slammed into the ground behind us, and I moved out of the way only just in time as the goddess of ice burst out of them and delivered a quick spinning back kick to the Sinspawn. It countered, and she raised her arms for an ice attack, both on herself and her enemy.

It didn't take long, her overdrive gauge capping off just as she sent the last attack and felled the huge Sinspawn. I began a sigh of relief, looking at Yuna, who gave a tentative smile.

"Where now?" I asked, and she began to reply. Just then, the "ground" beneath us began to rumble, and I saw the airship screeching to a halt just below Sin.

"Jump!" came Cid's voice, and without question I sprinted to the edge of the huge whale-like creature and launched myself off the edge, just as it began to fall. Yuna had somehow reached it first, Rikku hot on her heels and everyone else just behind me. We hung on for dear life as Sin fell, crashing onto the land below, and finally Brother's excited voice rang out over the ship.

"Vydran! E lyhhud pameaja fryd E caa!"

"Pameaja ed, cuh!" Cid was just as thrilled. "Drao'ja tuha ed! Ed ec rybbahehk!"

Beaming and giving Rikku a thumbs-up, I followed her back into the bridge. Her father crushed her in a bear hug, saying, "Rikku, excellent!"

Yuna smiled at them for a moment, and then turned to Tidus. "It's going to come back, isn't it?" He nodded sadly.

"I know."

Cid looked up in surprise. "What? You're kidding me."

"No. We've gotta beat the guy inside Sin." Tidus sighed, as did Cid, and Wakka interjected.

"The Crusaders would be outta a job if it were this easy," he said, shaking his head.

"But it has weakened. I'm sure of it." Now Lulu spoke, nodding with more conviction than I saw in anyone else. Rikku, following her role model, piped up with a, "Yeah! We're winning!"

Bolstered by his daughter's confidence, Cid dipped his head. "All right! I'll do what I can with the main gun!" He turned on his heel and walked out, gesturing for Brother to follow, and I didn't notice Yuna slip out with them. Tidus soon followed, and I absently sunk into a spinning chair by the computer and turned myself around with my feet dragging on the ground.

"You think we can do this?" I heard myself asking, looking up into the faces of people I had come to call some of my best friends.

"Of course, ya?" Wakka was nodding with complete confidence. "Stop bein' so pessimistic. You're starting to sound like Lu." Despite myself, I smiled in her direction.

"Oh, no. We wouldn't want that, now would we? Like _Lulu!_"

She scoffed and turned away, though jokingly, and I went back to my original topic. "Honestly, though, I'm not really being pessimistic. Just…worried. How can we possibly do it without…losses?" I cursed myself for thinking of Auron then, and noticed that he had left as well.

"We can't." Kimahri spoke for the first time, and I glanced over at him, sure that this was the first time he had directly addressed me. "Will be many losses. Have been many losses. Many sacrifices. We make a few now, and then we make no more." He paused as we gaped. "Sir Auron a loss." I jumped, unsure of how much he knew. Only Rikku, Lulu and I were truly aware of his secret right now, at least of I knew of. What the Ronso said next, though, really threw me for a loop. "Tidus a loss."

"Tidus? Why would he be a loss? Do you know something we don't?" I inquired suddenly, and from the looks on their faces I was voicing everyone else's opinion. Kimahri only nodded, saying, "Know much that you do not. Know about Sir Auron. Know about Tidus, and Yuna. Yevonites blind with all but eyes. Ronso know how to search soul." He turned away, looking at the window, and I stared for a moment. It was clear, though, that the Ronso would say no more, and I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes for a few moments, contemplating and thinking, all the while peeking through one squinted eyelid at Kimahri for any more signs of speaking.

I was interrupted, though, when Rikku gasped and raced to the intercom. She yelled into it, "Yunie! Guys! Come look! Something's happening to Sin!"

I pushed myself out of my chair and went to the window to look and, sure enough, feathered white wings were sprouting like abnormal moonlilies from where Sin's fins used to be. They flapped gently, and the creature was lifted into the air, level with the airship. I raced out to the bridge, fighting the first traces of fatigue and following the others, to where Tidus and Yuna were already standing. Auron came out quietly behind me, murmuring, "Jecht…" Tidus looked over, and the eldest guardian continued. "He's waiting for you." The blitzer nodded, and Cid walked out.

"Well, son, the main gun is still broken. I can't give you any cover fire."

"That's okay," Tidus said with a sad smile. "Just take us in. We'll do the rest." He looked around, as did Cid, and-upon finding the eager agreement of everyone else-nodded.

"All right." Yuna's uncle turned to Brother, calling, "Take us up, flush to the mouth! No mistakes, or I'll tear out that mop you call hair!" His son nodded quickly, taking the threat to heart, and said in broken Spiran, "Trust...me. Me...take you there. No problem...ya?"

"All right!" Tidus punched the air. "Let's get ready to blitz!" Yuna smiled, nodding wholeheartedly.

"Our fathers' wishes…" she said in agreement. "Let's make them come true!" The summoner followed Tidus as he sprinted to the edge of the airship, wind blowing his hair back as it ascended toward Sin.

"I'm coming for you, Dad!"

**x.X.x**

**Yus. Short. I know. Be quiet XD**

**AND SO ENDS CHAPTER...40. *dramatic music***

**Sooo awesome. We got to FORTY CHAPTERS!**

**That's hardcore, maaaan.**

**And so begins the end of the journey...  
**


	41. Sin: Gone Before It Began

**'Nudder fast update! Aren't we proud?**

**I don't think there are any new readers :D**

**I'm being elusive for a reason. I think about 66 percent of you will really enjoy this chapter. Around 20 will like it. One will not. **

**Disclaimer: Confused yet?**

**x.X.x  
**

Driving with the tip of his tongue poking out from between his teeth and toes clenched in his shoes, Brother guided the ship into Sin as its jaw slowly dropped. Tidus and Yuna were perched on the edge of the ship, peering over, and Rikku soon joined them and gave a surprised squeal at the brown clouds clogged with pyreflies drifting below us. The surprise morphed into terror, though, as a huge image of Seymour's face raced toward us and, at the last moment, bypassed the flinching guardians in a flood of pyreflies. His laugh weighed down on my eardrums, and I shivered, feeling a warm, reassuring hand press on my collarbone. I edged back until Auron's arm was embracing my shoulders, and reached up to twine our fingers together as the airship landed with a gentle thump on the ground of wherever we were.

"Dad!" Tidus's voice echoed around us. "Where are you?"

Auron kept my hand, but took his arm from around me and answered, "We must go to him." Tidus turned, his eyes darting down to our interlocked digits, and nodded vigorously.

"Then we will!" He turned to Yuna. "Let me take front!" She dipped her head with a smile.

"Good luck."

"Follow me!" He sprinted off with new energy, and I released Auron's hand to catch up. The guardian was unperturbed, still walking calmly at the rear and, I noticed, making sure to keep everyone (especially Tidus) in his line of sight. Tidus's pace never slowed, turning as if he knew exactly where he was going, passing a waterfall and eventually coming to a gently sloping ramp. He hesitated, but only for a moment, and then plunged onward, ascending until he came level with Maester Seymour himself, levitating on a platform. His summoner and fellow guardians were close behind, and it wasn't until we were all standing, barely breathing, that someone spoke.

"Don't you ever give up?" It was Tidus, of course, and I found that I hated the patronizing smile Seymour shot in his direction.

"Sin has chosen me," he rasped. "I am part of Sin. I am one with Sin…forever." A leer sprouted on his face. "Immortal!" With a look of disgust Tidus answered scornfully, "Sin just absorbed you." Another patronizing smile.

"I will learn to control it…from within. I have all the time in the world." I could tell from the fury in the blitzer's eyes that he didn't like seeing his father in the picture Seymour painted. The Maester continued. "Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca, the only means of destroying Sin is forever gone." He began to drift up, a metallic sheen covering him on all but his eyes, sparking crystalline blue, and screamed in a grating voice, "Now nothing can stop us!"

Tidus's head jerked up, and he was quick to retaliate. "Well, we can!" In a flash of neon, Brotherhood was out and sparkling in the pyrefly light, and there again was that belittling smile.

"By all means, try!" He sounded positively hysterical. "You should thank me! Your death means your father's life!"

"Yuna, Nul-Spells!" Jecht's son wasted no time, and in a heartbeat was flanked by the other guardians, Yuna behind them with staff twirling. Auron ran forward with an Armor Break to open the way for Tidus, who by far did the most damage: this was his battle, after all.

Lulu backed the blitzer up with DoubleCast, scoping out Seymour's weakness and warning Tidus when not to attack with his water-based weapon. I hung back until Auron murmured, "Yuna, your aeons," and as she summoned them Tidus retreated a little to gain his breath back. That was when Wakka, Kimahri, Rikku and I rushed forward to continue the battle, and I ripped open what skin I could with Auron's dagger as Lulu's fire licked around the edges of the puncture wounds. Seymour screamed, battered by Kimahri's lance, Rikku's gloves, and Wakka's blitzball as well, and we backed up to let Tidus take the lead a second time.

That was about when Bahamut joined the battle. I let myself be distracted for a moment, marveling at guardian and aeon fighting side-by-side, and looked over as Yuna's Nul Spells kept coming. Seymour wasn't long for this world, that much was clear.

I was just beginning to relax, my dagger falling a little and letting my muscles loosen up, when Seymour's arm whipped out. Bahamut roared, falling heavily and with enough force to make the ground below us quake as the half-Guado lashed out with some sort of last-resort spell. Tidus was knocked onto his back, Brotherhood spinning out of his hand and ricocheting for the ramp with a _clang._ Yuna gave a soft scream at her guardian crumpled on the floor, and began to step forward as Bahamut straightened and crouched over him, facing Seymour with a defiant growl. It was the first show of emotion I had seen in the aeon, stoic and hard as he usually was, and Auron held out an arm to stop her.

"Bahamut will protect him," he murmured, nodding toward the dragon. "You protect the rest of us." With a reluctant nod, her eyes never leaving Tidus, the summoner cast more spells as Lulu and I worked around the huge aeon, Wakka on the other side and Kimahri and Rikku unable to get closer. A few more tries, and Bahamut didn't even hesitate with his overdrive when he reached it. He was irate enough, and Seymour's attacks gave him new energy, and so it was a Mega Flare that became the last thing the Maester saw.

A blinding current of light and what looked like huge pieces of flying debris hit Seymour head-on, and his blood-chilling scream sent a tremor down my spine. I backed up, fingers searching for something. I wasn't sure what it was until the same rough, worn hand that had held my shoulder caught my wrist, sliding down until our fingers were woven together again, and I shielded my eyes as his huge frame pitched forward. Seymour stumbled to his knees with a hoarse, "No!" before tumbling to all fours.

"Now, Yuna, send him!" Wakka exclaimed, and she nodded, eyes darting to Tidus.

"Right." The summoner stepped forward, but before she began to send the Maester she said coldly, "You killed Usse, didn't you?" He looked up, and a small smile flickered on his face. Yuna closed her eyes in disgust, and then Nirvana whirled. Just as he began to fade away, his voice echoed around the room.

"So it is you, after all, who will send me…" Seymour closed his eyes. "But even after I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail." He burst into a flood of pyreflies as his lips moved, the shimmering sparks of matter swirling around in a whirlwind of color. I watched for a moment, awed, and started when a hand moved from my own to grip my shoulder, clenching as if I was the last thing holding him down to Spira. I didn't have to glance back, instead reaching up to grasp Auron's fingers as if anchoring him down. For a moment I imagined that I was, and wondered what it was like for him in a Sending. In a moment of weakness, fighting the pull of the Farplane because we needed him here, but so tempted to let go and float with Braska and Jecht and Kinoc.

As the last remnants of Maester Seymour Guado dissipated, everything was silent but for the walls whispering his last words. _Sorrow will prevail…_ Auron's grip loosened, and then his hand was gone, and Yuna was rushing to Tidus. I followed, holding in a gasp at his arm, warped and twisted beyond what was natural. He gave a soft groan as Yuna knelt by him and began multiple healing spells, a deep crease between her eyebrows, and his eyes flickered open. They quickly snapped shut again, his brow matching Yuna's as he shifted and gritted his teeth, jaw clenched, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Auron look away.

"I-I'm sorry," Yuna stuttered, shaking her head. "I'm trying, but I was concentrating on Seymour, and I…I can't…"

"Yuna." Lulu's voice interrupted her, and she put a hand on the summoner's shoulder. "Concentrate."

Staring at the mage, Yuna nodded and swallowed, running her hands along Nirvana's stem and squeezing her eyes shut as white tendrils of light went from her staff to Tidus. He shifted, a grimace on his face, and Yuna stopped with a breath of frustration.

"Th-that's all I can do," she sighed, and Lulu nodded.

"Then we'll give him an Al Bhed potion."

Tidus's eyes had opened, and he nodded with an effort to keep his face still. "C'mon, Yuna." He smiled, and she looked as though she were getting ready to wipe tears from her cheeks as Lulu stood and caught the Al Bhed potion Rikku tossed. She passed it to the summoner, who gave it to Tidus, who downed the whole thing. My lips twitched in amusement as he shook himself and stood up, hiding another grimace, and nodded.

"Let's go."

We started walking, the blonde blitzer trying to heft Brotherhood with his left hand instead, wincing every now and then, and I couldn't help but notice the flash of emotion-I couldn't discern what it was-in Auron's face every time Jecht's son showed any sign of pain, even discomfort. I fell back to walk next to him, noting with silent surprise how shaken he looked and wondering what a Sending was really like for him, or if it was even the reason he now seemed so…upset. I had trouble finding the right word. Attentive to Tidus's pain. Regretful, even.

"Are you all right?" I asked quietly, once we were all on our way through a cluster of metallic buildings like giant stalagmites sprouting out of the ground, some leaning against each other and some propped up against their neighbors like a roof above the cracked road we tread on now. Auron took a moment to answer, glancing at the shattered windows and the roads like stitches in a blanket, weaving through the city that reminded me so much of Zanarkand.

"I'm fine." His reply was low and almost incoherent, and he fingered the bottle at his waist, popping the cork and then screwing it back on. From his tone, I doubted he'd say any more, and I nodded and let the silence speak for me. If he wanted to say something, I wouldn't leave.

To my surprise, he did, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Auron closed his good eye as he walked, effortlessly keeping his pace and never faltering, stepping over cracks and bumps the way I had in Zanarkand-if much more practiced-and finally spoke. "The City of Dying Dreams," he said softly. "I had almost forgotten." Not knowing what to say, I kept quiet, only nodding. As if I had screamed at him to tell me more, though, Auron's voice quieted even more as he continued. "Tidus…could die now. If his chances of surviving were half before his arm, they are far less now. He is overconfident, and Yuna is paranoid. He'll be lucky to get a chance to fight Jecht…much less win. Yuna will exhaust herself trying to keep him from death, as much as he means to her. Sin will live." His eye closed again, and I stared sideways at the guardian.

"Maybe," I finally said, quietly. "But you don't have a crystal ball, and not even Seymour knew the future. Besides, Yuna won't be the only one protecting him."

"No one would have had to, if I hadn't been…"

"Trying to pass this off as your fault?"

"I am as much Tidus's guardian as I am Yuna's. Perhaps more so. It was-and is-my job to make sure he is safe. For Yuna's sake as well as his." I remembered his promise to Jecht, and I was silent for a moment before snapping out of it and replying.

"Then you'll do that, and no one cares about Tidus's arm, for Yevon's sake. He'll fight, we'll all fight, people will die, people will be hurt, and it might well be you, for all you know."

"You know I can't."

"You can still be handicapped, or incapacitated. Where would we be if your head was rolling around in Zanarkand?" This earned a small smile, and he shook his head as if forcing it down.

"What might your point be?"

"That it could have happened to anyone, and it will happen to everyone. You don't have to babysit all the time. See how wise I sound?"

"Mm." He seemed back to mostly-normal, and I looked away with a small, prideful grin. I could cheer Auron up. No one could deny that now.

Yuna stopped abruptly, glancing up at the sky and then switching her gaze to Tidus.

"We rest here," she called, and I looked up to see what I hoped was the heaviest cloud cover there had ever been. I could see no stars, no moon, and I fought down a sudden surge of uncertainty. Yevon didn't exist. We were going into battle alone. Without a Final Aeon, without the protection of Spira's first High Summoner. Just us now. And I wasn't the only one who was tired.

Rikku set one of her machina-tubes, like a candle contained inside of a pipe, down on the ground as a makeshift fire, though no one bothered to unroll blankets. We wouldn't sleep tonight.

I walked over to inspect Rikku's machina, if only for something to do, and she gleefully explained it to me.

"It's called a flashlight. It's not really fire, of course: just electricity. So kind of like taking the energy from a thunderbolt"-she shuddered-"and cramming it into this little tube. It runs out, but then you just get new batteries and-hey, where'd Auron go?" Her thoughts stopped, and I looked up as well. Sure enough, he had left. And quickly.

"Don't know." I glanced around to make sure he wasn't hiding in the shadows like he sometimes did, and Rikku shrugged.

"You should go after him, wherever he went. He looked like he wanted to talk."

"Talk?"

"Yeah. Get stuff out. Rant. Yell. Scream. Throw things." Her own anger at him seemed to evaporate, but I didn't dwell on it.

"That doesn't sound like Auron to me."

"Well, of course not. He wouldn't _do _that, but maybe it'd help him to talk to someone. And he can talk to you, can't he?"

"I suppose."

"Then go. Me and my flashlight will be waiting right here, and I'll tell everyone you two eloped or something."

"Sure." I rolled my eyes at her, and then stood and slid out of our little camp in search of the guardian, padding down the worn, rubble-strewn streets and taking my time until I found him.

He hadn't gone far, but it was far enough. Out of earshot, far out of sight, sitting almost at the edge of the small city with face upturned to the stars we all wanted so desperately to see. I knew he heard me coming, though he didn't turn, and instead stood up without facing me. I stopped a few feet away, hovering. Waiting.

"Do you know where we're going?" I wasn't the first to speak, and my mouth closed for a moment before opening again to reply.

"No." I answered truthfully. I didn't.

"You know where I will be when this is over."

"The Farplane."

"Perhaps. Anywhere I go, it will not be here. Gone."

"I know."

"You accept that?"

"Fully."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Now Auron turned, crossing to me until he was as close as we had been on the Thunder Plains, eyes locked on my face for a few moments. I inhaled, lips parting as I took a breath, his hand moving up to cup my cheek and his face edging closer. Finally my eyes closed of their own accord, and as I was exhaling his lips pressed suddenly into mine. I thought absurdly of the mushin I knew now, barely feeling my own arms come up to my chest and my hands rest on his shoulders, his fingers wrapped around them as if ready to push me away. If he felt the same, he seemed to banish the thought the moment it snaked into my head, one hand migrating to rest instead between my shoulder blades and pull me closer.

_You know where I will be when this is over._

_The Farplane._

I reached up without a second thought, fingertips slipping underneath his shaded glasses to trace the jagged scar marring one side of his face, and felt him tense. He didn't pull away.

_Where is the sense in all this? Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them! Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!_

_Is this why? Is this the only reason you're…alive? And you never said anything, never. Were you waiting for me to figure it out, or did you just not care?_

_I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing. That is my story._

My eyes flickered open unwillingly, and I pulled slowly away to stare into his good eye for a moment before reaching up to pull his glasses off and tuck them into my hand, holding his gaze. I had never seen this Auron, as long as I had known him and all that we had been through-all of us, not just him and I-and felt like I was staring through him now. He was translucent, colorless: everything about him out on the table for me to sift through and remember, use to destroy him if I wanted to. I wasn't thinking of that, though. Instead, I was thinking of the final battle, the confrontation, the Sending. I closed my eyes, trying unsuccessfully to blink back tears but instead making them come faster, and finally buried my face into his coat and stood there, wondering where this would be when he was gone. There would be no Auron, no one to remember this but me, and I would forget. Little things, things that meant the world to me now but things that would slip through the holes and be shoved out of the way by bigger memories. Things that he would have remembered. No stories to tell children, no way would he be recognized for everything he did. No one knew him but us, but me. Tidus, perhaps. But Auron was going to vanish in the river of time, and no one would remember him because no one would have known him. In a way, he was gone before the journey began.

**x.X.x**

**Oh, sweet Nayru, I almost cried rereading that (proofreading, you know). It's not so much the story as the song I was listening to (Element-Moses Mayfield) and the fact that we have maybe three or four more chapters left. It's coming to a close, people. D8 Just wait until the epilogue, and my keyboard will be typng lik ths bcas to mani keis r brkn to typ prprly frm mi tears.**

**I won't beg for a review, because you people are awesome enough already, but it'd be nice if I knew whether that phailed or won. Or somewhere in between. I'm not necessarily a romance writer when it comes to kissing scenes and whatnot, but I hope that turned out okay :D**

**And you better like this chapter, because it's almost one o'clock in the morning and I still have to study for the huge history test tomorrow. Yeah. ENJOY IT.**

**(you know I'm kidding. Just letting you all know how screwed up my priorities are. XDDD)  
**


	42. Sin: Finale

**Heckuva fast update here, and-for once-look how long~!**

**Be prepared. This is the Sin chapter, in all of its glory. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.**

**Disclaimer: Art thou ready for this?**

**x.X.x  
**

We didn't go back to the others that night, though it can't be said I didn't mean to. But lost in thought, I sank down with my back to one of the shadowy buildings where Auron was already standing, having made it clear without speaking that he didn't plan to return until it was time to depart in the morning, and he slid down to the ground at my side. I knew better than to speak: it seemed as if the guardian had been struck silent, and I had no doubt that it would be a one-sided conversation if I tried to strike one up.

It was the silence and the serenity, though, that gave me a sense of drowsy peace despite the battle looming tomorrow and what would surely come after, and I dropped off into sleep.

* * *

I didn't know what woke me, but it was just as the first rays of light cut slits in the night sky that my eyes opened without a sound and I listened for a moment to the soft, deep breathing just behind me. I could feel a heartbeat at my back, and for a moment I was afraid to move. It seemed almost strange, for Auron to be sleeping while anyone else was awake. Some part of me hadn't thought it possible, both his heartbeat and because he was always the first one up, standing and watching the sunrise while the rest of us remained still and oblivious to everything but our own dreams. Now I was the one up, the tables had turned, yet even as I thought this I tried to rise without disturbing him. I began to turn, with the strangest desire to see his face as he slept, and found that he was awake. The moment I moved his good eye had flickered open, and I stared for a moment. Finally I found my tongue, though my voice was dry and quiet.

"Good morning." It was automatic, an impulse, like saying "love you" every time I parted with a member of a family. It had been an unspoken rule between Graav and I: no matter the anger, when we headed to bed or left each other, "I love you" was the last thing that was said. Auron said nothing for a moment, and then in a voice just as soft, "I think it is." He stood with nothing else to say, and I followed suit and kept in-step with the guardian as we made our way back to the camp before anyone else awoke. Though I had thought that no one would sleep, I hadn't realized then how incredibly tired we all were. If we didn't sleep now, we would be sleeping in the final battle, and so he and I returned to deep breathing and a few disquieted snores. Unsure of why, even then, I rumpled my blankets and sat on top of them as if I had just woken up, taking some of the food out of my bag that Yuna had preserved with white magic and quietly eating an early breakfast. Somehow, I didn't want anyone to know, even if only for Auron. He, obviously, was not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve, and I didn't want to, either.

I wasn't very surprised when, as soon as the sun was fully up, Yuna's eyes opened. She stood, beginning to fold up her blankets and giving me a brief nod and a nervous smile, the noise from her packing waking her other guardians.

Rikku stretched loudly, making us all jump and Kimahri glare at her for silence, and she stuck her tongue out and dropped her flashlight into her pocket. It was small enough, and I marveled how a tiny thing could hold so much light as she came skipping over to me.

"Find Auron last night?" the Al Bhed inquired cheerfully, helping me roll up the blankets. I nodded, gesturing.

"He's over there."

"Then he won't miss the battle!" She was chipper as always, a mischievous glint in her eyes that made me wonder, and then Rikku winked and jogged over to her cousin. "So, Yunie, we ready?"

"I think so." The summoner blinked, fingering Nirvana nervously, and then swallowed and nodded. "Right. Are we…are we ready, everyone?" At this, her guardians looked up, and Auron emerged out of the shadows. Yuna's eyes locked onto him, looking as though she would very much like to cling to him and plead for guidance rather than guide us through the battles ahead. He nodded, voice soft, and I noticed with a strange flutter in my chest that he looked at me as he spoke.

"We are ready."

She dipped her head, though it was more of a jerk, and took a deep breath.

"Then let's go."

Yuna set off, waiting for Tidus to catch up and walk just next to her, and I didn't miss their pinky fingers quietly interlocking as she started walking, his injured arm held stiffly at his other side. The other guardians fell in line behind them, and I found myself drifting into step with Lulu. She glanced sideways, and I offered a small smile, spirits suddenly lifting.

"Well…this is it." My voice was quiet, but not without feeling, and the mage gave a small laugh.

"I hope not. There's still so much more to do, don't you think?" She smiled sideways.

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. People to congratulate and be congratulated by, lives to live." Lulu shrugged.

"Lives to live." I laughed once, sighed. Lives to live. "I suppose."

"And don't forget the heartfelt goodbyes and confessions of feelings just before the battle."

I had a sudden vision of Rikku, yelling her secrets to the wind just as we began to fight, and I chuckled.

"And there's that." Lulu's lips twitched, and she fell silent. I relaxed, but straightened just as quickly at a yell of surprise from the front of the group, followed by a dull _crash _that set the loose stones dancing by our feet on the trembling road. We picked up the pace until we reached Tidus and Yuna, staring up in awe and fear at the tall, stout obelisk-like structure that had just set the earth shaking. Symbols were woven into its surface, thin tendrils of light snaking from one rune to another and finally to the symbol of Yu Yevon near its base. Yuna approached it warily, and I noticed Auron seem to materialize behind her, one hand relaxed on his katana, as she reached out with clammy fingers to brush the mark as if she knew that she should. A soft scream, like a vacuum in my lungs, and then I collapsed on a thin silver sheet of…something. Pyreflies floated lazily around me like pale embers, and I rolled out of the way only just in time to see a crystal sprout out of the ground, resembling the formations in Macalania Woods. I stared in confusion for a moment, and then jumped when I heard a voice above me.

"Grab it."

I didn't question: only reached out and wrapped my fingers around the glittering rock, yanking it out of the ground and looking up. Auron nodded. "Try to find more, and don't get attacked. We'll need them." He disappeared, and I jumped. He had truly disappeared, diffused into thin air, and I saw him appear a moment later across the plateau next to Yuna, passing on the message. She nodded slowly, and then he was gone again, blinking around as more and more of the guardians leapt out of the way of fiends and dove down to grab the crystals before they melted away. I knelt to wrench one of the sharp-edged gems out of the hard-packed ground, slicing my palm as I did. I began to curse, but stopped in surprise as the pyreflies swarmed to my hand and knitted the skin back together until it was nothing but a light scar. I looked up in awe, and then noticed the figures ghosting around the edges of the space, images from the Farplane. I saw Luzzu and Gatta, and heard Rikku's cry when Keyakku drifted closest to her with a strange expression on his face.

I saw nothing more, though, because at that moment the air was suddenly sucked out of my lungs again and I stumbled onto a level, mechanical surface. It could have been the roof of a house, and I looked around in quiet relief at the stars. Below me was a terrain that looked remarkably like Zanarkand, beside me stood Auron, and in front of me…was Jecht. Tidus's father, standing with his back to us and his arms crossed, not aged a day. For a moment there was nothing but his son's quiet, breathy gasp, and then Auron's shoes echoed off the metal as he stepped a few feet forward, brushing my hand as he did. Jecht shifted and, for the first time, he spoke.

"You're late, Auron." Rough and coarse, the rusty voice of a smoker, a drinker, and a yeller. Auron's was the same as it had always been, and he dipped his head in silent acceptance.

"I know."

Jecht turned around, looked his friend in the eye, nodded once. I noticed the tattoos curling over his chest and around his shoulders, the muscle along his arms and back. The perfect blitzer, in the shape anyone longed for. He turned to Tidus, still stoic and carefully emotionless.

"Hey."

I could finally see the resemblance, their expressions matching perfectly, as Tidus answered, "Hi." Then a grin broke out on his father's face, his arms unfolding.

"Hah!" he exclaimed, "You got tall, but you're all bones!" His tone went lower. "You eating right, boy?"

Tidus made no reply, and Jecht blinked slowly. "You've really grown."

"Yeah, but you're still bigger." His son now folded his own arms, refusing to look at his father.

"Well, I am Sin, you know." The barest hint of a smile flickered on his face, and now Tidus's gaze moved to his dark eyes.

"That's not funny."

A tense laugh, and then, "Well, then…I mean…you know." He sighed, the smile fading. "Let's end this." Jecht began to back up, but looked back as Tidus asked quietly, "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate you."

I looked away as Jecht's face registered no surprise, but we all heard everything behind Tidus's words. How could I have ever said that to anyone and not meant it like he did now? I had spouted off those words before, easily, and now I realized I doubted I would again.

"I know…I know." His father looked up, tone changing, eyes shifting to Auron. "You know what you have to do." The guardian gave a nod, and Tidus shifted.

"Yeah."

Jecht stepped forward.

"I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore." His voice softened. "Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely. I…" He hesitated. "I'm glad you're here now. One thing, though…. When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back…. I'm sorry."

Tidus interrupted him, the words bursting out like a river. "That's…enough! Enough…okay? Let's finish this!" He withdrew Brotherhood, eyes shimmering with tears in the reflected glow of the pyreflies, and Jecht dipped his head.

"You're right." He turned, striding to the edge of the roof we stood on and pivoting again to face us. For a reason I will never know, he winked at me, and then an orb of energy formed at his chest. "Well, then…let's go!"

Tidus lurched forward as if he couldn't stop himself, watching his father walk backwards over the edge of the platform, and then Jecht was gone. But only for a moment. Pyreflies swarmed up so that the metallic buildings sparkled in their light, and then a huge fist slammed onto the roof, enveloped in flames and only a few yards away from Tidus, who danced backwards.

"I promise this'll be quick!" he screamed, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "Hit me with all you got, dad!"

I clenched my dagger, unwilling to throw my other yet, and tightened my gloves. I was so immersed in gut-clenching terror that I almost didn't notice a pair of lips brushing my cheek and a whispered, "Careful," before Auron was gone, sidestepping to Tidus's side and ready to protect him at whatever costs. Distracted for a moment, I wonderingly brushed the place that he had kissed with my fingertips, and then shook myself and straightened, watching Auron in my peripheral vision as I hung near Rikku and Kimahri. We were the close-range attackers, after all, and tended to move simultaneously in battles, sticking together whenever we could. Auron could take care of himself, I knew. Somehow I still worried, but I was fairly sure I couldn't dwell on that now.

"Ready?" Rikku asked, grinning. "We're gonna kick some butt, huh?"

"Rikku cheerful," Kimahri observed dryly, and she nodded before answering.

"Well?"

The Ronso waited for a moment before speaking, gauging the others' attacks.

"Go."

The Al Bhed led the charge with a wild scream, pelting forward at full-speed and driving her fists into what parts of the final aeon she could reach. I followed suit, but nearly lost my balance when Kimahri boosted me up on his huge shoulder and let me stab higher. As soon as I clambered down and backed up to slow my heartbeat, he stabbed with his lance and then flipped back to join us. Rikku pouted.

"Why didn't you do that to me?" she asked sulkily, and the Ronso shook his head with a tiny smile, eyes still on the battle.

"Rikku attack too quickly. No plan," he answered easily, and she sighed.

"Fine. Next time?"

"Next time Kimahri throws her into the air," he promised, and she beamed.

"Okey dokey! You've got yourself a deal!"

My lips twitched, and then my brow creased as Tidus leapt forward to sink Brotherhood into his opponent, Auron shadowing him and then rushing forward past him with an Armor Break. He narrowly avoided a fist slamming into the ground, jumping back easily and returning to his original position, and everyone was always tailed by Lulu and Yuna's magic. I noticed the two spinning columns flanking Jecht, but didn't take much notice of them. I knew we were wearing him down, and fast.

I heard Tidus swear softly when he moved his injured arm to crouch back into a defensive position, and when my eyes flicked to Auron I saw the guilt in his face. I shook my head, looking to Rikku again, and she flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up to Kimahri.

"Careful," he told her, and then nodded at me. I broke into a sprint the moment he did, loping alongside the huge cat-like creature and slicing into the aeon's skin. Black magic crossed my mind, but I had given up on that long ago, and turned my attention to Kimahri, who had skidded to a halt and scooped Rikku up to hurl her into the air and straight for the aeon's head. She let out a scream, lashing out with her fists and colliding with its eye sockets before tumbling back down through the air and into Kimahri's outstretched hands with a hollow _thud. _He nodded, shoving his lance once more into the final aeon, and then looked up and bulldozed us both out of the way with unmatched speed, so that we barely missed the huge fist that had slammed down a hairsbreadth away.

I straightened, breathlessly nodding my thanks, and shook the sweat out of my eyes as I followed the Ronso back to the frontline. Auron and Tidus had taken their chance as Jecht was distracted by our little dynamic, and now Lulu's most powerful spells swirled around the final aeon. He was sagging, his attacks growing weaker, and I hid a smile. Maybe we could get through this, after all. Wakka's blitzball, thrown with expert precision, bounced off of the aeon's eyes, sending a thick back powder obscuring the air around his face, and I nodded to myself. Maybe it would even be fun.

Kimahri, Rikku and I were about to launch another attack when Auron called "Wait." There was something strange in his voice, and I paused, noticing the Pagodas begin to spin faster and dark strands of shadow swirl from them to the aeon. He straightened, lifting his fists, and sent a beam of light for us, reminding me of Valefor's first overdrive. I flinched, raising my dagger, and let out an involuntary cry as the blade cracked, turned to stone for a heartbeat and then covered again with metal, leaving a thin spider webbing of slits in the curve. Not my dagger. Not Auron's.

I gritted my teeth, tossing the now-useless weapon backwards and swearing to retrieve it, and pulled my throwing knife out of my belt. Better the dagger petrified than me.

I glanced back at the Yu Pagodas, seeing that their spinning had all but stopped and that Jecht was looking better than he had at the start of the battle.

"Dammit."

I jumped and looked behind me, seeing Lulu looking murderous. She glanced at me. "We have to destroy those…things before we can truly fight Sir Jecht." The mage sighed. "I'm sure everyone knows that now."

"All right! Back to square one!" In any other circumstance, I might have throttled Rikku right then. But it was kind of welcome now. Any humor was, because I could feel the first signs of fatigue and hopelessness creeping through my limbs, and I shook it off as well as I could.

"Start again, then. Yuna, maybe you could try an aeon to get them in one shot, as well as do some damage to…to Jecht." I had trouble calling this thing Jecht, when I wasn't even sure if that was who it was, but Yuna nodded.

"All right." She raised Nirvana, stepping back to make room for Valefor, and the rest of the guardians hung back. The aeon had an almost sad expression, her energy beam slicing through the two Yu Pagodas and getting a head start on Jecht, who recoiled. As he recovered, a huge wave of magic swept over Valefor, and she collapsed in a flood of pyreflies. "Thank you," Yuna murmured, brushing the aeon's wing, and then turned her attention back to the battle, healing minor injuries and-it looked like-taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Rikku glanced at Kimahri and I, nodding, and we repeated our sequence from our last try. This time, though, we came in on one flank while Auron, Tidus, and Wakka came in on the other, both groups able to get out of the way before Jecht had time to attack. Closely following us was Lulu, DoubleCast and Flare already on the way, and finally came Yuna, patching up any injuries.

The aeon began a slow, steady rumbling, angry and with gaze locked on who had been his son. Tidus brandished Brotherhood, retaliating.

"I won't lose!" he shouted. "You won't beat me this time!" Behind me, Yuna quickly cast Protect, first on Tidus and then on the rest of us. I felt the effects of Hastega soon after, and noticed Tidus backing away. He wasn't retreating: only putting enough distance between himself and the aeon, either to attack or give himself time to cast his own spell. Strangely, the rumbling stopped, and Auron moved forward again. I heard his murmur, directed at Tidus, and followed it anyway.

"Get back."

The blitzer, fortunately, had that much sense, and retreated again as Jecht pitched backwards, flailing for a moment as his spine bent at an impossible angle. Finally he let out an earthshaking roar, the hilt of a sword now protruding from his chest, and he yanked it out with a dull _shink. _Spikes sprouted from his shoulder blades, and he gave the huge sword a few experimental swings before zeroing in on the guardians.

"All right, time to give you everything we've got!" Tidus called, moving forward now with a look of sheer determination carved into his face. I nodded, and Kimahri braced one knee against the ground, Rikku at his side, and then we took off. I kept running, but as soon as he was less than a few feet away the Ronso reached down and plucked Rikku off the ground, launching her into the air effortlessly for someone of his strength. He could have done that to Auron, as far as I was concerned.

She whipped out a pocketknife and drove it wherever she could, and I heard Jecht's howl as the Al Bhed rocketed back toward the ground. I did what I could with my throwing knife, still longing for the other, and then rushed out of the way.

"Yuna, another aeon!" Auron called as the Yu Pagodas lifted themselves up and began spinning again. She nodded quickly, fumbling with her staff before finally succeeding in summoning Ifrit, as if calling her aeons in order. He conjured a ball of flames, throwing Jecht into the air and engulfing him in the fire, letting the entire thing slam back into the ground before he was taken by another attack as Jecht recovered. The two Pagodas received the aftershock, faltering for a moment, and then spinning slowly to a halt at Lulu's two Flares. I caught Auron's nod, and I took a deep breath to calm down. We were getting somewhere now.

A ripple of energy expanded from the final aeon as I thought this, and I blinked, trying to brace myself. I wasn't strong enough, though, and heard the sharp _clang _of metal-on-metal as my dagger slipped from my fingers and I swayed, one foot stepping back to steady myself. I knelt for a moment, keeping my eyes on Jecht while searching for the dagger in my peripheral vision and nervously tightening my gloves when I had it. Enough attacks like that could kill anyone, and this certainly wasn't his strongest.

Auron ran forward now, Kimahri near him, and performed a fast Armor Break, followed by a consecutive Magic Break and then a mad dash to evade the next fist slammed into the ground. My breath hitched, and I shook myself to concentrate on Kimahri, sprinting forward to plunge his lance into the aeon's side and then dancing out of the way. Lulu's magic followed them both, and Yuna summoned her next aeon without question, clearly trying to get this battle over with quickly. I looked back in time to catch her eyes flicking nervously to Tidus, who was rubbing his shoulder with a clenched jaw visible from here, and nodded. Yes, she was paranoid, but she might be saving all of our lives.

Ixion reared, planting his hooves between his summoner and rival aeon, unleashing his overdrive without hesitation and managing to get one more attack in before he let out a scream and collapsed, dissolving into pyreflies at Yuna's murmur of thanks. Auron shadowed Tidus as he ran in just after Ixion, while Jecht was still recovering, and found that he was finally needed, pushing the boy out of the way after his attack and taking the outstretched, swiping hand instead of the blitzer. He used the knife of the blade to block it, severing a few huge fingers but still skidding back a few feet with a harsh crack that I heard from my position at least ten feet away. I winced, watching Auron shake his head at Yuna when she raised her staff to heal him, instead withdrawing a potion from his robe and downing it in one gulp, rolling his shoulder without a sound. He hefted his katana again, meeting Tidus's eyes and evidently accepting his thanks, though it was hard to tell from here. The battle went on.

* * *

More than once it seemed to me that it _had _to be over by now, because there was no way anything was that strong. All of our aeons' overdrives, all of our attacks: he had survived them all. The possibility of losing never wormed its way into my mind, because in my mind it defied the laws of physics to lose now. We had come so far and fought so hard, and we simply weren't losing now. But as Jecht's strength went on, even without the Pagodas, my own began to wane. Yuna stubbornly refused to summon Bahamut, claiming that he wasn't at overdrive and neither was she, and yet I felt sure that if we just did something, if something happened, it would all be over. I couldn't keep up like this, and I knew it. If Yuna could just summon her last aeon, maybe we could win. If we waited like this, though, someone would die. Someone would be gone forever, just collapse, and no one would be able to save them, all because Bahamut had to wait. The possibility of losing wasn't in my thoughts, but dying was. One of us, perhaps me, could easily die. Let our guard down for a moment, and that's it. No second chances. Not even for the Unsent.

I lifted my dagger as a reflex when the earth beneath me began to shake again, a huge roaring in my ears as my vision shook so that I could make out only a sword being slammed into the ground and a current of magic, only glowing blurs, circling within the aeon's palms. I backed up, blinking to focus and then able to do nothing but watch in horror as an orb of energy spiraled through the air and morphed into a boulder, which Jecht rammed into the ground and sent a cloud of magic racing for us.

I didn't have time to think, sent immediately to the ground with a shriek devoid of any real force, and for the first time I wondered if we were really going to lose. No one behind us, no one to know what we knew. Gone, and Sin still living.

I tried to reach my dagger, but I knew I would do nothing when I had it. If by some miracle I managed to get to Jecht, I would be walking to my own death. He would crush us all like ants beneath his feet.

It was then that the continuous thundering in my ears ended, the final aeon's roaring, and now it echoed for far too long and far too loud. There was a crash, another rumbling, and then the heavy _thud _of beating wings pushing the air away. We had lost, I was sure of it. We'd failed.

* * *

The world was black, my eyelids heavier than stone. My entire body was made of stone, too heavy to lift and too tired to try. Somewhere in my mind was the same realization, but I accepted it now. There was nothing I could do to change it. We tried: no one could deny that.

I had only enough energy to shudder, lips parting as if to form a protest when I felt myself being lifted, supported so that I was propped slightly upright now. But I was dead…

The stone was receding now, so that I felt lighter, knew my surroundings. My back was warm, and as my brain began to churn sluggishly along I realized that a hand was pressed between my shoulder blades, holding my head away from the jagged ground. It was achingly familiar, the same worn skin and emanating warmth. I knew it from somewhere, I was sure. Involuntarily, my toes curled, as if testing themselves out, and heard a soft intake of breath above me.

"Aey."

I knew the voice. Gagazet, in a cave, cold. Wet robe, stiffened fingers. The same voice, same tone. I felt a tiny murmur whoosh out between my teeth, stone still slowly disappearing, and forced my eyelids open.

I knew the face. I never would have forgotten. Glasses, hair graying before it should. Dead? No, not anymore. Still fighting? Then we were as good as dead. I wasn't dead, I wasn't still fighting. Had we truly won?

I couldn't ponder any longer, suddenly overtaken with violent, rattling coughs. In one fluid movement, Auron carefully flipped me and watched silently as my lungs cleared themselves out, one hand resting on the back of my neck and the other still holding me up. Finally I stopped shaking, and he pressed a flask into my palm. "Drink."

I nodded slowly, uncorking it with unsteady fingers and sealing my lips around it to take in the entire thing, fighting back another wave of coughing and swallowing thickly. Immediately, the last of the stone weighing me down disappeared, and I closed my eyes for a moment. They flew open when Auron lifted me like a child and set me on my feet, and I looked around for the first time.

Kimahri was doing the same thing that the red-cloaked guardian had done to me, though it was clear he had only just been revived as well. I wondered how long we had been here: even Auron wasn't strong enough to withstand all of that and stay conscious, but it looked as though he had been the first to recover. Tidus was slumped on his hands and knees, Kimahri already moving away to Yuna to help her after leaving the blitzer with a potion, and the others were beginning to stir. I shivered, involuntarily pressing as close as I could to Auron, leaning against his side, and asked softly, "How?"

"I think…" he began, eyes soft. "Bahamut knew when he was needed, and came down without Yuna having to ask. He fought the last leg of the battle for us." I remembered the echoes of the roaring I had heard, and realized that they weren't echoes at all. Our savior, the Fayth.

Auron pointed up to the sky above with the arm that was squeezing my shoulders, so that his hand was right next to my face and gesturing towards the stars. I followed it, finding a huge mass of shadow obscuring part of the night sky. "Jecht is waiting. As is Yu Yevon."

"Waiting?" I was gaining my energy back, able to stand on my own but not wanting to. I was too comfortable, and all too aware that time was running short now. We had done it, but there were consequences. There were always consequences.

"Yes. He is waiting for us to gain our bearings back, in a way."

I didn't answer, lost in thought, and stayed attached to Auron's side as he helped Kimahri in healing the guardians. Every one still had life, something I thanked whatever god there was now for, and very soon they were all up and at least kneeling, coughing and shaking but gradually looking up. Yuna saved her own strength, knowing that it would be useless to try and use her magic now, and joined Tidus where he sat off to the side. He didn't answer to whatever she said, but looked up and abruptly stood as Jecht materialized on the edge of the roof.

He stared for a moment. And then, as if unable to contain himself, Tidus ran for his father and locked him in an embrace, letting go as Jecht slowly sank to the ground, eventually lying on his back and looking up at his son.

"You'll cry," he said finally, and Tidus looked back bitterly, as if regretting his brief show of emotion. "You're gonna cry. You always cry, see? You're crying." Even now his voice bore traces of scorn, and Tidus squeezed his eyes shut.

"I hate you, Dad." He stood, and Jecht propped himself up as well, moving painfully into a kneeling position.

"Save it for later," he answered, and I couldn't make out the tone.

"Right…we've got a job to do, don't we?" Tidus's mood seemed to be on a seesaw, one moment angry and the next determined. Jecht's was much the same, and he nodded in approval.

"Good. That's right." A small smile twisted the corners of his mouth. "You are my son, after all."

Tidus seemed to be battling with himself, mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he shook his head, settling on, "You know, for the first time, I'm glad…to have you as my father." The anger in his tone contradicted his words, and if this affected Jecht he didn't show it but for a slight smirking smile, quickly looking up to object as Yuna said softly, "Sir Jecht…I should…"

"No, Yuna," he interrupted, jerking his head. "There's no time." He looked up, and I followed his gaze to a swirling mass of shadow that spiraled above us. Yu Yevon.

"You stay away!" Tidus shouted , brandishing Brotherhood. Jecht, for once, spoke in a quieter voice than his son.

"Yuna, you know what to do," he told her, and she nodded solemnly. "The aeons." The summoner lifted her staff, and Jecht began to fall into the abyss below. "Call them!"

He disappeared in a wave of pyreflies, swarming around us and echoing a tiny voice I was sure I heard, whispering so quietly I almost passed it off as the rustle of clothes. "Call us!"

**x.X.x**

**I don't even want to KNOW how many words that was. I don't know yet, see...**

**I bet it'll be in the 6000s, though. We'll see XD**

**So this was fun to write, and I'm finding that I get a lot (perhaps too much) done when I get home and stay up too late writing. Very...interesting. But hopefully this will be finished very soon, and then there will be grief counseling and cake. ;D**

**Sorry again about the length. I'm trying to get it done, you see, and so I'll probably be cramming a lot into these last few chapters.  
**


	43. Say What You Will

**Disclaimer: Nope, sorry, I'd be rich if I owned FF.**

**x.X.x  
**

Yuna's staff became a blur, and finally Yu Yevon descended to sink into Jecht's sword, a swirling abyss of magic and darkness. The moment it was completely obscured, hidden deep within the weapon, scarlet spatters of light burst out of the blade and rained down on us so that, for a moment, I couldn't make out my own hand in front of my face. When they cleared, I heard myself inhale sharply.

We were all balanced precariously on a massive ebony sword that was hovering silently in midair, with seemingly nothing to hold it up. I couldn't see past the blankets of darkened clouds that closed in on the blade, and turned around just in time to catch Yu Yevon disappearing into the fog.

"Yuna!" Tidus's voice came from somewhere to my left, and just in front of me Yuna turned and nodded. Her guardians caught up to her, and as we flanked the summoner she took a deep breath, watching Yu Yevon slide out of the clouds and wait.

Valefor was up first, tired and hurt from the battle with Jecht but able to fight. I saw Yuna blinking and shaking her head, concentrating furiously on Nirvana's satin-smooth wood and her white magic, instead of on her first aeon. I swallowed, glancing at Rikku and Kimahri. The Ronso nodded slowly, and even Rikku looked alarmingly solemn.

"We've got Valefor," I said quietly, and saw Yuna's rigid nod.

"Do your worst," the summoner answered, closing her eyes as if unable to watch. I glanced at Rikku, who sighed.

"I guess Kimahri will toss me up again. I'll get her back, and you two attack from underneath. That sound okay?" The Ronso dipped his head, hefting his lance, and I readied my throwing knife. Then Rikku took off, flanking Kimahri, and I sprinted alongside them before skidding to a halt and letting my eyes snap closed. My arm flicked out on its own, the dagger spinning through the air in a lethal arc, and for once I hit my target. Of course, this was the one time I almost didn't want to.

Valefor let a single scream pierce the air, sounding exactly like the small girl that had become her fayth, and Yuna clapped her hands over her ears with a soft cry, shaking her head violently. She took a deep, rattling breath as the aeon fell, disintegrating for a final time into a sweeping cloud of pyreflies, and Yu Yevon withdrew and hovered teasingly close, waiting again.

"Yuna," Auron murmured, and to me he seemed ready to put his arm around her shoulders like a father. I knew he never would, but I could see it.

"I know," she choked out, flexing her fingers on each hand before straightening and giving Nirvana a rigid twist, standing stiff-backed as Ifrit hit the ground with a low snarl and a defiant gleam in his irises. His eyes turned blank, though, as Yu Yevon swooped down and melted into the fire, battling for the aeon's soul as Auron stepped forward without a sound to cleave through the creature's skull. I heard Yuna's choked gasp as the battle ended within a moment, and he returned to his position a little behind her.

"Ixion." I could barely hear his murmur, but she nodded and called the third aeon without a sound. Now it was Tidus who hung back as the horse reared, turned, and then looked at him, and the blitzer sighed and moved forward with resignation. He raised Brotherhood, yet Ixion stood stock-still, staring right through the guardian, and then the glittering sword slammed down and the aeon was gone.

"Sorry, Yuna," Tidus said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, and then backed up. It wasn't long before Shiva fell from the sky and landed, catlike, on the sword we were perched on. She straightened, and Lulu sighed and raised her arms for a last spell, working all too well on the weakened aeon. Shiva dissolved without a sound, and Yu Yevon floated out of reach once more, though its movements were jerkier and rough.

Now it was Bahamut, Wakka's turn. The majestic wings unfurled, head turning slowly and ebony eyes still retaining their gleam though Yu Yevon had stolen his very core. I saw the blitzball, thought somehow of my first game, and then Bahamut, our savior, had gone.

Yuna had been unnaturally quiet, but now let out a wretched sob and shook her head. I didn't know what it felt like, but I knew that the aeons were a part of her, and to have them wrenched away was like severing a limb.

"I c-can't," she sniffed, but even I knew that was untrue. We'd come this far, and Yuna would never stop because of this. She raised her staff, saw Yojimbo and his canine, and looked away. Auron was the one that moved up and let his katana fly, and all that could be heard was the soft clinking of Gil coins rolling on the ground. Then they, too, burst into color, and now there was only one more.

Yuna was still, as if she had been shocked into paralysis, and simply stood and stared for a few moments. Then, with the most anger I had ever seen in the summoner, she whipped Nirvana around and slammed its polished end into the ground, staring at her weapon and refusing to look at Anima rising from the ground with an anguished scream. Yu Yevon descended for the last time, the shriek cutting abruptly off, and then I heard Yuna's deep breath. She did nothing, waiting, though the aeon now stared at her. A few moments passed, no one spoke. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Auron withdraw a small knife and pass it underhand to the summoner, telling her what she needed to do without words. Then Yuna broke the silence with a forced breath, tears on her face as she looked up, and then screamed and lunged for her last aeon.

The blade barely brushed the creature's skin, but the fayth that had been Seymour's mother was out within a moment, her body exploding and her spirit fading from the air. Yuna's rigid fingers slowly uncurled, robotic, the knife dropping to her feet as she backed up and watched Yu Yevon float, crackling with energy and gliding up to wait. She was blinking furiously, trying harder than anything to stop her tears, but seven fragments of her soul had just shattered, and she finally buried her face in her hands and let her staff drop to the ground, shoulders shaking.

She might have stood there forever, lost, had Auron not knelt and picked up her staff, handing it back to her with a rough, "Braska wouldn't have wanted to see this." Looking up in surprise, Yuna peeked through trembling fingers, and after a moment reached out to grasp Nirvana. "He might think you couldn't go through with it." She didn't speak for a moment, tracing the head of the staff with her fingertips for a few heartbeats, tears glistening on her cheeks.

"Y-you're right. My father…wouldn't have d-done this." The summoner took a deep breath, and looked up into Auron's good eye. "Let's…go."

She led the way, guardians flanking her and trailing behind, and faced Yu Yevon. It was obscured, for a moment, by a current of murky darkness, and then floated into view. This time, a few legs sprouted out of the creature's sides, and the symbol of Yevon was glowing on its abdomen.

Automatically, I backed up into a defensive position, finding myself next to Auron, and readied for the last battle. My arms felt like lead, legs almost indiscernibly shaking, but I could fight. I was ready, in the zone, mushin-whatever its name was.

So I was surprised when Tidus's voice rose up over the soft breathing of the guardians and summoner around me.

"Everyone…" he began, and seven pairs of eyes flicked to him and back. His voice grew louder. "This is the last time we fight together…okay?"

"Huh?" Wakka straightened for a moment, blitzball still cradled and ready to throw in his arms.

"What I'm trying to say is…after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll disappear!"

"What are you talking about?" Lulu's voice was sharp from disbelief and confusion, but that was when something clicked in my mind. _Tidus a loss. _

I glanced quickly over at Kimahri, who dipped his head without facing me. Tidus a loss. _That _was what he meant. Somehow, some way, Tidus was going to be gone. Maybe he had plans to jump off into the abyss and follow his father after the battle, or maybe he would just die. Maybe he knew that this was his last fight. I looked up, wondering if somehow he knew if his life would end here, and shook my head. No. No one knew that. I wouldn't allow it. I would die before Tidus did, because if there was anyone who deserved to survive here it was him and Yuna.

Would I?

I knew I wanted Tidus to survive, but was I really that selfless? I didn't think so, but if the moment came I might have. Knocked him out of the way like it was blitzball, like it was nothing, and then it'd be over. Easy, really.

Tidus was speaking. I looked back over. "I know it's selfish…but this is my story!"

He leapt forward, and Brotherhood glistened and sparkled as it sunk into Yu Yevon. A splatter of ink, a thin wail. I readied my dagger, felt a hand on my shoulder, and then looked up to Auron, whose cheeks lifted in a tiny smile an even smaller nod. This was it. I'd said it before, but that was before I knew. Now I did. The last battle: this was it.

"Go." Auron's lips mouthed the word, and I nodded with a new surge of determination and let the knife fly. Struck by a bright idea, I quickly followed it, sinking my spiked gloves into Yu Yevon a few moments after the blade dropped to the ground. Then I swooped down and plucked it off the ground, retreating just in time to avoid a pulse of black magic, and stood again next to the guardian.

"Wish I could have thought of that earlier," I murmured to myself, and was rewarded with a small chuckle.

"Mm." He waited a moment for Lulu and Rikku's consecutive attacks, and then lunged and sunk his katana to the hilt into Yu Yevon, so that the tip sprouted out of the creature's back. "Yuna, finish it!" His voice had changed, echoed more, and I unconsciously leaned forward as the summoner took a hidden knife from her sleeve and stabbed downward, overhead, plunging the blade into the very heart of Sin. A piercing cry split the air, and then Auron moved Yuna back and stood a little in front of her like any guardian should, watching emotionlessly.

The insect-like monster was flung upwards, halos of light circling it, and finally exploded into a million tiny particles of shadow, disintegrating in the sudden light as the clouds around us dissolved. We stood again on the roof where Jecht had died, Yu Pagodas cracked and broken, and I stared. This was it. It was over.

* * *

Everyone knew it, the moment it happened. As if a huge shadow had retreated, the bonfire on Besaid Island burned a little brighter, the islanders sung a little louder, the Crusaders fought a little harder. They knew, everyone from the Chocobo Knights to the blitzball players, that their summoner had done it. They knew as the fayth's statues melted away, as Maechen collapsed into sobs, that High Summoner Yuna's statue would be shined the brightest. It might have had a grand horn on its head, were there any Ronso left to give one, but it might as well have been there already. They knew. Everyone knew.

And back in Sin, back in the dream, she was dancing.

* * *

I let my eyelids drift shut, basking in the moment. We'd done it, and nothing could stop Spira now. Yuna was dancing with the pyreflies, the dead were getting peace…

I opened my eyes, stopped breathing. A single glowing star glided past my face. I looked over. I'd forgotten. In all the peace and all the euphoria, though, he hadn't. More stars, more rainbow fairies that mimicked the stories of my childhood. Snow White. Peter Pan. Fairies.

I heard Yuna gasp, heard his voice lower than it had ever been. "Don't stop."

"But I…" the summoner trailed off, mouth opening and closing as if deciding if it was wisest to speak. I blinked, and felt my mouth seal itself shut. Auron stared at me for a long moment, saw my expression, and reached down to swallow my hands in his.

"You knew." I couldn't decide if his tone sounded gentle or accusatory. I blinked again.

"I knew," I answered, somehow sounding hoarse. My mouth felt dry, as if the words weren't mine, and Auron withdrew a necklace I had never seen before from his cloak, dropping it into my palm where it lay coiled up in my hand. As if the other guardians didn't exist, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, saying quietly into my hair, "You won't forget."

My fingers curled around the chain, and I resisted the urge to look at it as he let go and backed away, turning to Yuna with a strong, "It's all right."

She hesitated, but slowly Nirvana began to whirl again, and my eyes locked onto the phoenix-patterned staff, oblivious to all else until I felt it. I felt something leaving, something undone, and I wrenched my gaze away from the Sending and Yuna, to Auron. Something undone, something unsaid.

I was running out of time, and before I knew it I had run to the edge of the platform where the guardian stood and collided with him, holding on as if I could stop him from leaving. Something unsaid.

"I love you." Nothing but a whisper, barely coherent and muffled by the folds of his robe. I never got an answer, but the arms around me tightened, and then they were gone in a swirl of pyreflies, leaving nothing but a necklace and an echo behind.

_This is your world now._

**x.X.x**


	44. Say All That You Can

**Yes, there is another chapter (obviously, since it's right here), and then there will possibly be a final author's note. Clearly, I'm drawing this out as long as I can, and this is another pitifully short chapter. Extwemely sowwy, but hey, we're getting to the end, so now I'm moving into how I want it to LOOK and where "cliffhangers" are (ends of chapters) as opposed to the length. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own FFX**

**x.X.x  
**

Nirvana kept twirling. Yuna kept dancing. The aeons faded, the pyreflies swirled. I clutched the thin chain of the necklace as if it would disappear, too, still nestled in my palm. Sin fell and exploded into a cover of murky energy, and somehow we were back on the airship. Somehow, there were more goodbyes to be said. Somehow Tidus was fading, too.

"No…" Yuna's voice was soft, tentative, as if she was afraid to believe it. I stared at the ground, realized that my dagger was gone. My dagger, curved and beautiful, cracked beyond repair now. I never retrieved it. It was gone, gone with Sin.

"Yuna, I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand." I looked up, his voice white noise in my ears, in time to see him walk to the edge of the airship just like another guardian had done. He turned back and nodded at each of us. "Goodbye."

"Hey!" Wakka's voice burst out, and the blitzer stepped forward at the same time as Rikku. It was hard to believe they had once been enemies, as in-tune with the other as they were now. I looked up, feeling the thoughtlessness in my own gaze. My mind was somewhere else.

"We're gonna see you again, right?" Rikku sounded panicked and angry. She whipped around as Yuna broke into a run, Tidus's arms opened, and the summoner passed through him as if he weren't there.

_There is nothing there._

_You think I've never seen death before?_

_Yes._

Yuna was getting to her feet, pyreflies swirling around her and Tidus, and I couldn't look anymore. Something kept me from it, and I instead stared out over them, at the clouds, wondering where the Farplane was. Was it truly where people departed for? Our fate? How many people believed that, I wondered. How many didn't.

"I love you." Something unsaid, but I heard it now, and when my gaze drifted to my summoner it was like watching a movie of myself. Tidus wrapped his arms around her shoulders, beginning to fade and shimmer, and then walked through her and stood perched on the edge of the airship like a fledging on the precipice of a cliff. But life didn't begin here: the fledging would jump, its wings would not unfurl, and it would disappear. Just a memory, just a dream.

Tidus jumped. The fledging disappeared into the clouds, gone.

Just a memory. Just a dream.

* * *

We were back in Luca, and I was back home. Standing in the blitzball stadium, come full circle. Waiting for our summoner, still whistling on the dock. I reached into my pocket to grab the necklace: I hadn't put it on yet. I hadn't even looked at it.

Lulu returned, trailing after Yuna, who stepped up where Maester Seymour had once stood. The cheers became deafening, and I felt a small spark of pride. There had been losses. There had been sacrifices. But we'd done it. And I could think later, but for now I was a guardian to the new High Summoner, she who had defeated Sin-fully.

"Everyone…" Yuna's voice echoed around the stadium, and immediately the crowd was still. She continued. "Everyone has lost something precious. Everybody here has lost homes, dreams, and friends." She hesitated, looking around at the Spirans and Guado and Hypello and even a Shoopuf or two crammed into the bleachers. Just a whisper, a rustle of cloth. "Everybody…

"But now, Sin is finally dead. Now, Spira is ours again. Working together… Now we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although I know the journey will be hard…" Yuna paused and took a breath, "We have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira." She stepped forward, leaning over the balcony, and finished with a triumphant note in her voice, "The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today."

The crowd erupted at once, exploded into cheers and screams, tears everywhere but the balcony where we stood. I smiled softly, knowing two people who would have enjoyed this very much. One would have enjoyed the attention, would have made people laugh. The other…well, it seemed like something he would enjoy, though he would never let on. It had been who he was.

Yuna looked up, and as the crowd quieted she began to speak again. "Just…one more thing…" The summoner turned around and passed her gaze over every guardian, then swept it around the arena. She closed her eyes, opened them again. "The people and the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded…" A tiny pyrefly bobbed past her face.

"Never forget them."

**x.X.x**


	45. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

**x.X.x**_  
_

I snapped my goggles onto my eyes, closing them for a moment before flinging open the door and following Graav into the sphere pool in rhythm with the announcer's voice.

"First it's Graav, captain, and following him is his sister, Aey, once guardian to High Summoner Yuna. Then comes Raudy, Doram, Balgerda, Bickson, and Abus-the Goers of this generation. Give them a hand, everybody, worthy of their last moments as our beloved blitzball team!"

The cheers were muffled by the swirling water, and I smiled, thinking wryly, _What am I going to do with my life now? _

I had no regrets, though. No team lasts forever, and it so happened that none of us really played as well as we used to. There was no reason to, because Spira had other things on its mind. With Sin gone, the shadow looming over this land was gone as well, and now there were new things to do. Machina to invent, to use, new games to take part in. My home was evolving, and blitzball was being left behind because its only purpose in the first place was to be happiness. It had done its job well, but now we had other things to do and other places to go and other sports to play.

I smiled at Graav, willing myself not to tear up because that was definitely not a good idea while wearing goggles, and because I felt like I already had cried enough to last myself a lifetime. It had been years. I didn't remember tears ever sliding down my cheeks, because I felt some of _his _strength in me, but there was a gap in my mind. If my thoughts wanted to be heard, they had to jump over it every time as if it were a canyon, and a few always missed the other side and fell, never resurfacing and lost in the abyss where Auron used to be. Even when they skipped over successfully and made themselves known, they always made the smallest of echoes, and reminded me of a voice I knew all too well.

We swam, circling, slapping high-fives every now and then and flashing sad smiles. No team lasts forever. The Goers were no exception.

This was our little party, this cheering crowd, in honor of retirement. Blitzball was calming, cool and entertaining, but it didn't hold as much meaning as it first had in the beginning. The sport came about because people needed it. They needed a distraction, a source of entertainment and a way to forget their own problems, but no one truly _needed _it anymore. It was fun, now: just fun.

So we'd made a collective decision to pack our bags and move on. And here we were.

* * *

An few hours later, some fooling around in the sphere pool for the crowd and few festivities, and the team swam out for the last time. We met silently in the locker rooms, looking at each other and then finally speaking, promising to keep meeting and stay close, and then the Luca Goers parted ways to their own homes.

I stayed at the sphere pool after almost everyone was gone, somehow more pensive than usual. Stepping out of the locker rooms and looking up, my eyes locked and stayed on the stars. Orion was in the sky tonight, fully visible. My favorite, partly because I always knew him by his belt.

A few loud laughs drew my attention away, and I looked over, doing a double-take. Three young men were sprawled out on the bleachers, one of them with hands folded behind his head and reclining on the cold metal, shirtless and with dragon tattoos spiraling around his biceps. He was the one with the biggest smile, telling a story, while the other two relaxed on one side of him and chuckled. He shook his head, dark chestnut hair swinging, and I saw from here that his eyes were dark and bright.

The other had the longest hair by far, tied into two separate ponytails on either side of his face, with an ashen sheen from my view. He wore more formal clothes, a dark robe over off-white pants, and sat in the middle of the three with his arms flung out on the bleacher above him as if not-quite-putting them around the shoulders of his buddies.

The last was the one that had caught my eye, and I knelt to rummage in my trusty shoulder bag as I glanced up at him. Charcoal hair falling loose around his face, upon which sat a dark pair of glasses. A belted, earthy cloak and dark-colored undershirt, loose pants. He was the most soft-spoken, a small smile turning the corners of his mouth up, and leaned back gently on the metal behind him, hands resting in his lap.

I stood up again as if I had found what I was looking for in my bag, and began to walk off slowly, resisting the urge to glance back. I didn't need to, though, because a trilling whistle made me turn.

"Hey! You were High Summoner Yuna's guardian, yeah?" The first spoke, sitting up. I heard his companion sigh loudly, eyes twinkling, and answered, "Don't mind him. He's got no tact." I chuckled despite myself.

"I knew someone like him," I said, a little louder than normal as I moved closer and let my voice lower. "A few years ago." Perhaps I hadn't truly _known _him, but I'd heard enough about him to say it truthfully.

"Yeah? Bet he wasn't as handsome as me." The young man's face changed entirely as he smirked, preening.

"He was quite a bit older, actually. Very obnoxious and out-there." I smiled to let them know I was teasing, and the one with the silvery hair grinned.

"Good for you. He needs to hear that every now and then. Rather arrogant, you know."

"All too well." I gave a mock-wink, and the first that had spoken leaned forward and put his chin in his hands, fluttering his eyelashes up at me in a purposefully ridiculous manner.

"But I'm still handsome."

"Mm."

At this, his eyes widened in surprise, and he snorted. "I can't believe you just said that. That's like, a patented phrase, Miss."

"What, 'mm'? Patented?" I raised my eyebrows, and he jerked a thumb at the last member of their little group.

"That boring fella over there says it all the time. You could ask him what the weather is, and he'd go 'Mm.'" I glanced over in time to see a quiet smirk, and then the one with the black hair leaned back a little farther, saying purposefully, "Mm." His friend rolled his eyes and stood up.

"You aren't going to start that again, are you?" he asked with a wide grin, and the man with the longest hair that sat in the middle mouthed, "Watch this," to me. I nodded, stepping back a little as the two faced each other and circled, but it didn't take long before one man had lunged and the other had retreated smoothly a step back. He caught the first's shoulder and threw his balance off, using momentum and thudding the top of his own foot against the back of his attacker's knee to send him toppling to the ground.

"Damn you, you little ninja," the one with the shaggy bronze hair growled, but a smile broke out on his face as his friend helped him up.

"I'm afraid it's your fault, if you keep giving me these opportunities to practice."

"Yeah. Whatever."

I laughed with the man that hadn't stood to fight, shaking my head. "You know, you all are almost unnaturally like three people I used to know," I said, chuckling.

"Yeah? Looks or personality?"

"Both."

"Hmmph. They better have been some sweet guys, then."

"Sure. Auron, at least. Maybe Braska. Jecht was the obnoxious one." I beamed. He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms and knowing that I meant him.

"Well, Jecht's a cool name, anyway. Which one's Auron and which one's Braska?" He pronounced the names strangely, not rolling off his tongue like they did mine. I gestured at the robed, light-haired man first, saying, "Well, you both look and act similarly to Braska. I think he was the oldest, if that's of any consequence. " My gaze switched to his friend, and I tried to keep my gaze from softening. "You're more like Auron. Less serious, but still." Jecht's mini-me snorted.

"This Auron was _more _serious?"

"Oh, give it ten years. You'd be surprised." I didn't miss the small smile on his face, already hidden so well, and nodded before looking at the portable machina strapped to my wrist, resembling Bevelle's clock tower. "All right, well, I'd best be going. Trying to figure out what to do with my life now and all that." I grinned and stood, lifting my fingers in a wave, and the three carelessly leaned back again and nodded.

"Maybe we'll see you again."

"Oh, maybe. Depends on if I stick around Luca." I shrugged, then dipped my head again and turned to leave. They began chattering again behind me, and the corners of my mouth turned up. I wondered who they would become.

I hadn't gotten far before the happiness faded, replaced quickly by a hollow thumping in my chest. I knew the feeling, and my pace slowed, thinking now about what I so often pushed away. I had taken the long way home, now passing by the square and the fountain where we'd once stood, once found Wakka's crest. Or was it his sigil?

I couldn't remember anymore. I stopped abruptly at the smooth marble that held the water in, dipping my hand into it and pulling it out to let the droplets slide off my fingertips. I'd forgotten. It had slipped from my memory, that little thing, into Auron's gap in my mind with so many of my thoughts and who-knew-what-else. I was seized by shame and frustration, and suddenly I felt like taking a boat to Besaid and waking Yuna, if only to ask her where we had searched for Wakka's crest and sigil. I had forgotten that simple thing, in only a few years. Where would I be ten years from now? Twenty? Would I ever cease to remember how I'd met him, the exact place we had stood after he had saved me from a fiend? Fear crept into my mind, fear that I would die without knowing Auron, and he would never have existed. My memories would be gone, irretrievable, and there would be nothing I could do.

I turned suddenly and pelted for home, bursting into my own house and skidding on the wood floor to the back room. Kneeling, I buried my head in the darkened closet of my bedroom and rooted around until I nearly sliced my finger on my throwing knife, slipped out of its sheath. I sighed, curling my hand around its hilt, and then I almost unconsciously sought something else, coiled in a tiny leather bag.

I held it up to the lamplight, stroking the worn drawstring and pulling it open, reaching in. A delicate chain slithered over my fingers, and I hooked them and slid it out. A necklace, one that I had never bothered to look at because I hadn't been able to. I didn't know why now, as my eyes fell upon a signet ring, too large for my fingers, strung on the silver links. I had seen it before, and for a moment I didn't know where. Then I remembered that I'd seen it once, when Auron took his glove off. It had always hidden on his ring finger beneath the thick leather that protected his hand when he swung his sword, and I cupped the band in my palm to lift it closer to the light. He'd left it for me, though why I would never know. I let it drop, then unclasped the chain and hooked it again behind my neck, so that the ring nestled in the hollow of my throat. Perhaps I wouldn't forget after all.

I found one more surprise that night. Switching off the light after a few moments, I walked to my bed and dropped onto it, disturbing something on my pillow so that it clinked lightly. Startled, I reached over warily and picked up the shadowy silhouette, pulling open the blinds so that moonlight flooded the room and illuminated the thing in my hand. A single pyrefly, as if waiting for this moment, slipped out of it and glided away, brushing my cheek before disappearing in the silvery glow filtering onto my bed. I reached up to touch it, and my fingertips fell instead on a tear.

I remembered. This was something I would never forget. The cracks still spider-webbed along the blade, white as the crescent moon and just as curved. It was a Maester's gift to graduating Warrior Monks, and somehow, somewhere, someone had returned my broken dagger to me.

I know now who it was.

**x.X.x**


	46. Final Author's Note

_**Final Author's Note**_

All right, sit back and enjoy the ending for a little while before I take you back to the real world with my A/N.

Ready? Okay.

Isn't that nice. We capped off at 45 chapters even, and you get to see the author talking in regular text as opposed to bold :)

So...it's over? Carpe Diem, book one, 273 pages, and I won't even tell you what it's saved as on my computer because it's so incredibly boring. Done. Finished.

I can honestly say that this is the first time I've ever finished a major story over 200 pages and been proud of it even when I finished. Usually, I start off on one level of writing, and take so long to finish the story that by the end I re-read the beginning and can't stand it. Yes, that happened this time, but it's not too bad, in my opinion. Not compared to the number of other times that's happened. So yay.

It really is nice to have this done. It's a finished story (when I start getting REALLY proud of my stories, I call them books), and one that doesn't weigh so heavily on my conscience anymore. Now I have time to work on my Halloween costume (CHELL~! From PORTAL~! My friend's having a trick-or-treat partay with a few of HIS friends, and his brother is going to sit at home-I think-and be all sullen like guys do), and go back to other stories on here, like Shoot for the Moon. I also REALLY want to write a novel that I can actually publish (seriously published, with editors and whatnot-not just self-publish, as I've done that before), and maybe even NaNoWriMo. I doubt it, but perhaps.

I'm actually quite pleased that I got this done around Halloween. It's a nice little...atmosphere, don't you think?

So, anyway, here is the final compiled list of everyone who has ever reviewed, along with my eternal gratitude to you all. Don't I sound all formal? 8D

*takes a deep breath*

Miorochi, Amy122, Lady Lucrecia, ethunderwolf, Anne Montrose, Ninja-Mayumi, Fayre Eternity, Hiddenlotuselee, Queen of Obscene, HorseKid109, Pitch Hart, Yume97, Natlii-x, Boredom Queen of Insanity, toucanmel94, Claudia Kent, AkaiKurai, Persephone89, Yuni30, Kaida Ukitake, buddyzmama, Jam Drawings, Elianna1031, Ketsuko Kyo, BrokenAngel1753, Auron's Moira, and SerbiaTakesCntrl.

OKAY I'M DONE~!

8D

That was amazing. I love you people. XD *glomp*

So, in a final farewell, I thank you all and hope to see you around the wonderful world of fanfiction! *vanishes in a poof of smoke*

...

*pops back in* Oops, forgot my hat.

Now, GOODBYE! *dramatic flourish and another puff of smoke* *dramatic echo: Goodbye! Goodbye...goodbye...*

-TwiliPrincess049


End file.
